Here’s something we may not always think about when flying: the risk of birds and other wildlife getting harmed by inadvertently moving into a flight path. Luckily, there’s a workforce out there of very good people who love nothing more than to do a good job and yell at other critters to get off their lawn: dogs! This is how West Virginia’s International Yeager Airport came to employ their official wildlife K-9, Border Collie Hercules. And yes, this boy lives up to his noble name. But Hercules is of a certain age that he may be looking to retire in a couple years (if his social security hasn’t been messed with), so Hercules recently welcomed a partner on the job, fellow Border Collie Ned. Chris Keyser, the dynamic duo’s handler, reported to local news that Ned was doing his work like a champ, after Hercules expertly took Ned under his wing to learn the art of keeping birds from hitting a plane’s wing. And between moments of telling wildlife to skedaddle, Ned and Hercules cheer up passengers inside the airport. Nice work if you can get it!
The pair’s job, Keyser told NBC affiliate WSAZ, is to keep the airfield clear of wildlife when planes land and take off, given that the airport is located on a mountain.
“Ned has come so far,” Keyser, the airport’s Wildlife Specialist, said of the latest addition to his team.
“Watching Herc work the field — he’s gotten the same habits and he has learned where he can be at and where he couldn’t be at, and knows how to pull off the edge of the taxiways or runways,” he added. “He knows to lie down when planes are coming and landing or going that way they don’t flush birds out in front of aircraft and the dogs are safe, as well.”
As Keyser explained, the decision to give Hercules a “helping hand” was in part due to the pup having “a little age on him.” And Ned’s involvement only made sense — as he was initially trained to run goats and geese, the handler told WSAZ, with those skills now coming into play at the airport.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, roughly 19,700 wildlife strikes were reported at 780 U.S. airports in 2023 alone — with 292,000 taking place between 1990 and 2023. But both Ned and Hercules’ efforts have already made a difference in Charleston by reducing the number of strikes at the airport by 70%, WSAZ reports.
As part of their efforts, the duo are trained to simply scare the animals off and run five to seven miles daily, rain or shine. And it isn’t just birds they’re responsible for.
As Keyser told the outlet, air traffic controllers “always” have their eyes on the field and alert him to deer, groundhogs, foxes or other creatures that could be potential dangers at the airport. Then Ned and Hercules can get the job done.
Since the airport is operating 24 hours a day, too, the pups are always available for duty. “If it’s raining, the birds increase a lot,” Keyser said. “Our work becomes a little more then because birds come to feed when the worms surface from the rain.”
Ned and Hercules also serve as companions for those visiting the airport, Keyser added. And as of now, Ned is taking in all Hercules has been teaching him and has “learned from the best,” his handler said.
Fans of the duo can keep up with their adventures on Hercules’ Instagram page, where Ned has recently made some cameos of his own.
“I have seen people be nervous and be crying and I will bring Herc along, and Herc will just come up there wagging his tail and smiling at them,” Keyser said. “He will just love up on them, and all those tears just go away, and all of the sudden they’ve just got a smile on their face.”
“And Ned’s involvement only made sense — as he was initially trained to run goats and geese.” Oh, I love it. I’m picturing Ned trotting into an interview, and when asked about his qualifications, replying: “Well, my training was in running goats and geese, which I believe is a solid foundation for this position which would further expand my avian and land-animalian experience. And did I mention I’m a very good boy, and like to run?” And speaking of, the local news segment had great shots of the boys running on the field — in their fab sunglasses! And a quick perusal of Hercules’ infamous Instagram page shows the man has quite the hat and accessories wardrobe. My favorite was his captain’s hat, that of course matched his harness. I figure it’s only a matter of time before Ned gets his own Insta. But in the meantime, if you’re trying to tell the two hunks apart, Ned has brown eyes, while Hercules has a striking one blue and one brown. Swoon!
Let’s keep delegating work to animals that they do better than us!