CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The airport at Canada's oil patch capital in Calgary, Alberta, is being plagued by roaming coyotes that threaten landing and take-off safety, regulators say.
Since June, airport officials have filed 26 incident reports of the feral coyotes straying onto runways and prompting diversionary measures. This year alone, there have been four incidents, the Calgary Sun reported.
Federal Transportation Safety Board spokesman Jonathan Lee told the newspaper a 30-pound coyote was capable of doing "significant damage" to large aircraft.
Terry Thompson, the airport's director of environmental service, said attempts in Calgary and other airports to devise coyote-proof fences didn't work, so his staff patrols the entire perimeter four times a day.
He said a backhoe smashes coyote dens and holes under the fences are filled.
However, Thompson said having some coyotes around is actually a benefit, as they help kill rabbits that attract large birds of prey, also a deadly danger to aircraft, the report said.
