[oucorry]

Massachusetts airport works to avoid a very different image of flying deer


Rudolf and his reindeer friends may be noted for their remarkable flying abilities, but officials at Regional Airport in New Bedford, Mass., don't want anything to do with deer in their flight paths.

According to the local Standard-Times newspaper, deer herds at the 847-acre facility are posing such a risk to aircraft that approvals are being sought to remove the pests of the tarmac using guns or bows, or perhaps even by non-lethal methods.

Alas, only a portion of the cross runways are fenced, and one of the areas where the deer make nuisances of themselves is on the airport's Instrument Landing System runway, which is generally used at times of low visibility, increasing the danger, according to the New Bedford newspaper.

"It is a serious concern," airport manager Ed DeWitt told the Standard-Times. "We are trying to (deal with deer) in a way that is least injurious to the deer population."

Excuse us, but with the state deer population estimated to be 85,000 to 95,000 and growing as much as 30 percent a year, according to state wildlife managers, we're curious why killing the offending ruminants wouldn't be the only option. Maybe it has something to do with the cute images of Rudolf and Co. Who knows?

But the matter is expected to be discussed with the Airport Commission during its regular meeting Wednesday, according to the Standard-Times.

An airport official said there was a collision between an aircraft and a deer many years ago at the regional airport and apparently other accidents have been avoided only by the quick thinking of air-traffic controllers who have notified pilots of the impending dangers on the runways.

Indeed, according to DeWitt, when deer are sighted near a runway, aircraft sometimes have to wait, causing delays.

We applaud airport officials for being concerned about wildlife, but lethal measures seem to our way of thinking the only sure way to eliminate the risk and avoid potential tragedy. Otherwise we're going to have a completely different image of flying deer.

[oucorry]

I will volunteer to help lower the deer herd

[D Winkler]

Yeah, that would be a pretty fun job.