SOURCES OF BIRD AND WILD LIFE ATTRACTION AT THE

AIRPORTS AND HOW IT MAY BE ELIMINATED AT OUR MAJOR

AIRPORTS.

Sameeullah Soomro F2018001021

Eahab Leghari F2018001011
Aizaz Ali F2018001154

Collisions between aircraft and wildlife have been acknowledged as a hazard to aviation since
the first aircraft flew over 100 years ago. But despite many years of research into combatting the
problem, wildlife strikes continue to be a serious safety concern for aviation regulators, airlines
and airports. the aviation predicted to grow for the foreseeable future, and increasingly
successful efforts being put into wildlife conservation, it is likely that the risk posed to aircraft by
wildlife will also increase. Most birds fly at less than 300 m above the ground. It is therefore
inevitable that bird strikes are a continuing serious hazard for aircraft. At the very beginning of
aviation, the low speed of flight made it possible for the birds to avoid a collision and the force
of any impact was small. In most cases a collision resulted in minor damage to wind shields and
leading edges of wings or the fuselage.

SOURCES OF BIRD AND WILDLIFE ATTRACTION AT AIRPORT

 FOOD
The possibility of feeding is probably the most important attraction. Waste dumps are very
attractive for the birds. The construction of a new dump should not be situated closer than 13 km
from the airport. An effective method which can prevent birds feeding in the waste dump is to
cover the dump by nets or wiring. Landfills should also be covered daily with soil to reduce bird
food sources. It often happens that visitors to the airport feed the birds. Earthworms are a
delicacy for the birds, and there are many of them as well as other insects in the grass and on the
paved surfaces after rain. Swarms of insects form over runways that have been heated by the sun,
and they attract the birds to this worst possible location. Some species take advantage of a hard
surface to break nuts open by dropping them. In the vicinity of the airport, birds of prey can
catch mice, moles and other small rodents. Birds are also encouraged to find food on small ponds
with an abundance of small fish, frogs, larvae and water plants. Significant foods for the birds
are also various berries, seeds and agricultural plants. Because of the great variety of various
kinds of bird food, it is practically impossible to remove the sources from the airport.

 WATER
Surface and standing water attracts in particular waterfowl and shorebirds. Small water courses
and swamps must be dried and backfilled. in order to prevent the birds from accessing food.
Using wire to cover bodies of water — such as lagoons — inhibits birds from landing. Small
water areas could be also protected by nets.

 SHELTER
Birds often seek the shelter of airport buildings and long grass areas. Hangars and other
premises on the airport can create safe nests. The birds nest directly on and in the buildings,
forests, bushes and in other greenery, and sometimes also in the parked aircraft. On the
aircraft themselves they nest most frequently in the gaps between the aerodynamic controls
and the fixed surfaces, and in the engine nacelles. The nest can be built very quickly, within
several hours. The nest can jam the controls, as can objects that are collected by the birds and
stored there by magpies, jackdaws, crows etc.

 EN-ROUTE PASSAGE ABOVE THE AIRPORT.

The wide open area of an airport gives the birds a secure feeling, as they are always able
to see a potential attacker. Seagulls feel so secure that sometimes they bring their food to the
airport specifically to eat it there.

Mitigation of the risk for strikes

To mitigate the risk for strikes beyond the airport fence, the general public and aviation
community must first widen its view of wildlife management to consider habitats and land uses
within 5 miles of airports. Wetlands, dredge-spoil containment areas, municipal solid waste
landfills, and wildlife refuges can attract hazardous wildlife.
Such land uses, as discussed, Hazardous Wildlife Attractants on or Near Airports, are often
incompatible with aviation safety and should either be prohibited near airports or designed and
operated in a manner that minimize the attraction of hazardous wildlife.
Second, the aviation community needs to broaden the view of wildlife strike risks from a
ground-based wildlife management problem solely dealt with by airports to an airspace
management problem that also encompasses Air Traffic Control, flight crews, and aircraft
manufacturers.
Long-term goals include the integration of avian radar and bird migration forecasting into
airspace management.
The development of aircraft lighting systems to enhance detection and avoidance by birds is also
needed as part of an integrated program.
The construction of a new dump should not be situated closer than 13 km from the airport. An
effective method which can prevent birds feeding in the waste dump is to cover the dump by nets
or wiring.
in order to prevent the birds from accessing food. Using wire to cover bodies of water inhibits
birds from landing. Small water areas could be also protected by nets.
Airports need to have fully-trained bird control personnel in order to implement a comprehensive
Wildlife Hazard Management Plan.

Equipment used for wildlife control and challenges.

The classic challenge for wildlife hazard management is that most animals will become habitual
to certain dispersal interventions or find new ways to settle themselves safely in the airport
environment.
Therefore, it is vital for airport operators to continuously adjust and vary the measures taken.
An airport should proactively seek different or new ways to reduce the wildlife hazard.
Portable Equipment Portable equipment, that requires a staff member on the airfield to operate it,
is generally regarded as offering the best control, providing that the staff members involved are
properly trained and motivated. Devices such as pyrotechnic, pistols, or vehicle mounted distress
call generators produce an impression of a direct threat which can be continually varied in time
and location by the operator in a manner not available to static systems. This is to prevent
wildlife habituating.

Conclusively, Aerodromes must understand the importance of aircraft safety from a habitat and
wildlife management perspective.
Bird strike risk to aviation is also alarmingly increasing at most of the airports in Pakistan.
According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Pakistan, 85 incidents of bird strikes took place
only at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, Pakistan since 2002. On June 25th, 2013 a
PIA’s Airbus 310 (two engine aircraft with 240 passengers’ capacity), experienced a bird hit on
one of its engines. A Russian-made Il-76 cargo plane crashed in November 2010 in Pakistan’s
largest city Karachi, killing eight crewmembers on board and 12 on ground, the likely cause was
the damage of the aircraft engine caused by a bird strike. According to (Khan, 1998) bird strikes
are a threat to flying aircraft of Pakistan Air Force Bases. In May 1967, a Martin B-57 Canberra
experienced bird strike ingestion. The aircraft crashed and the pilot lost his life in this accident.
Allan et al. (1999) have reported 40 strikes; 21 known and 19 unknowns, with bird species
having over 2 kg of body weight, from 1983 to 1998, in Pakistan.