Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina is having an unusual problem which is increasing in frequency: Coyotes, one of our Top Ten Most Badass Animals Native to the USA, won’t stay out of the runways.
You’d think the noise, the frequent airplanes zooming by, and the lack of much flora or fauna in the area would deter them, but no. “The critters can wreak havoc, causing delays in takeoffs and landings. In September, an American Eagle jet struck a coyote on a runway,” reports the LA Times.
Apparently, airport and federal wildlife employees have been attempting to scare off the coyotes using cap guns and bottle rockets, but they’ve taken things a step further — or should we say “taken things a step out of their backyards from the 1950s” — and drafted up a wildlife management plan for the Federal Aviation Administration to review. The proposed solution is age-old: Build a better fence. (And keep the grass cut.)
[via LA Times]