Operations crew at Syracuse Hancock International Airport work to keep wildlife off the airfield, prevent bird strikes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Oliver Cabiles is on a never-ending hunt to keep wildlife away from the runways at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

“On a day to day basis it’s always an effort for us to keep constant on keeping the wildlife off the airfield,” Cabiles said.

Hancock International sits on approximately 2,300 acres of land, and the airport Operation Crew does what they can to keep things safe.

“We have everything from wildlife habitat mitigation, so making sure there’s no standing water which attracts animals, we keep our grass mowed real short so that we don’t have rodents that show up,” Executive Director of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Jason Terreri said.

It’s not just birds that pose a danger, it’s groundhogs, foxes, turtles and snowy owls.

The airport works to mitigate wildlife by using pyrotechnics.

“We’re going to get this turkey vulture out of here starting off with a banger to get him up in the air and then I’m going to follow through with some screamers to direct him off of the airfield,” Cabiles said. “Hopefully we can give him a little help and get him off of the airfield.”

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