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Featured BUSINESS Corporate America Health Summit 2000 CONSUMER NEWS Cosmetic Crash Parts Are Irrelevant To Auto Safety ENTERTAINMENT Clarence Williams III Discusses Reindeer Games GENERAL INTEREST The Internet: Changing Politics As We Know It HEALTH AND FITNESS Pfizer Calls Men To Tune-Up For Life At NASCAR Events PSA's White Smiles For Adults Bring Brighter Smiles For Kids SPORTS Sugar Ray Leonard Fights To Knock-Out Age-Related Macular Degenerationr TECHNOLOGY New Holographic Data Storage System To Be Developed		"Jet" Protects The Skies Click to view (MAY-1999) -- The newest employee at Southwest Florida International Airport works like a dog. In fact, Jet is a dog, a two-year-old border collie specifically trained to chase birds from aircraft flight paths. Jet was acquired, as part of the airport's ongoing wildlife management effort, from Border Collie Rescue (BCR), a national non-profit organization based in Melrose, Fla. The 35-pound, black and white bundle of energy is the first dog in the country used in a bird hazard reduction program at a commercial airport. Wildlife strikes are a common problem at airports across the nation. Birds collide with close to 2,500 planes a year in the United States and have caused at least $48-million in aircraft damage since 1991. Since 85-percent of these reported strikes occurred on approach, landing, take-off or the initial climb to altitude, wildlife and habitat management are essential to airport safety. At Southwest Florida International Airport, Jet's job is to convince birds that the airport is no longer a pleasant place to live or visit. Extensive training, enhanced by the breed's inherent tendency to herd, but not to harm or kill, makes Jet a natural for his new job. Border collies are able to reach speeds of 30 mph, highly intelligent, adaptable and intense. They work tirelessly and persistently, and can be precisely guided to herd birds in specific directions, rather than just scattering them. Jet, who is paving the way for future doggy employment nationwide, will patrol with the airport's operations agents. Produced for (Click graphic to visit site) S E A R C H