CA Airport Has A Shaggy Problem

Pilots at California's Chino Airport have had to compete for runway space with four-legged interlopers lately: coyotes.

But the problem seems to have subsided somewhat, thanks to traps recently set by a private contractor hired by airport officials to capture the animals. So far, at least five coyotes have been caught.

The danger posed by the animals is what prompted airport officials to hire retain professionals. Four times in April, pilots reported coyotes on the runways.

James Jenkins, assistant director for the San Bernardino County Department of Airports, said pilots have reported coyote sightings to the tower.

"(One pilot) aborted his landing and did a go-around," Jenkins said. "We initiated a runway inspection and the pilot landed without incident."

According to Jenkins, several coyotes make their home in drainage pipes on airport property. Airport personnel have been trying to scare the animals off the property, but to no avail. Coyote activity has been increasing in recent years in the airport area due to the development of nearby rural land, according to the Ontario (CA) News Bulletin.

"Here in the last 10 days, we've trapped five coyotes," Jenkins said.

Chino Airport Manager, John Frymyer, said a coyote on the runway can be disastrous for a pilot.

"You don't know if it will run left, run right or just stand there," he said. "Anything could go wrong."

A pilot's natural instinct could be to swerve and protect the animal, said Frymyer, but that may result in a wing going too low, which could lead to a mishap.

"You're dealing with people's lives where something serious could happen," he said.

Before trap placement at a fence near the eastern border of the airport, airport employees had tried to block the area where the coyotes were entering, Frymyer said.

"We used boards and rocks," he said. "But they consistently came back through."

Frymyer said he recently saw five or six coyotes together at one time on airport grounds. Though they are easily chased away, they're persistent about returning.

"They've always been afraid of vehicles or people, but in the last month they've been on the runway," he said.

The airport had another coyote problem was in the early 1990s, when an abundance of rabbits and gophers attracted coyotes.

"During El Nino, a lot of food was available at the airport," Jenkins said.

For Frymyer, wildlife management is just one of many hats worn by an airport manager.

"My number one concern is to manage and control incidences that could cause loss of life," he said

FMI: www.com.san-bernardino.ca.us/Airports