Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is using a specially trained dog to help improve safety and prevent collisions between aircraft and birds.
Radar, a nine-year-old Border Collie, patrols the runways and airfield to deter birds, which can damage planes.
Rebecca Stansifer, the dog’s trainer, told the Naples Daily News that using Radar to prevent birds from entering the airport is more effective than using scarecrows or noise abatement as birds often adapt to these man-made deterrents.
Radar “is the one thing that the birds never get used to,” Stansifer said. “They respond every time.”
This unusual collision prevention initiative was introduced at the airport in response to figures from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which revealed an increase in the number of crashes between birds and planes.
The airport became the first in the country to use a dog to control wildlife in 1999. Radar’s predecessor Jet retired from his post in 2001.
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