02.05.08
A bird of prey has been hired to help improve safety at Prestwick Airport. Jasper, a 4 year old Harris hawk, is the latest weapon used to try to scare away seagulls at the Ayrshire hub.
A colony of hundreds of seagulls, which pose a threat to aircraft, have taken up residence on the roof of the Scottish Water building near the airport - and a series of other efforts has failed to shift them. Netting installed at a cost of £40,000 a month ago, but this led to a number of birds being trapped and injured. Pest controllers have even tried installing fake hawks. Now they hope the real thing will do the job.
Jasper, who will frighten the gulls rather than kill them, will circle the building and its surrounding area to try and scare away the seagulls, who use the roof as a breeding ground, and fly across the airport in order to get food. He will be used during the breeding season to encourage the birds to nest, and hopefully settle, elsewhere.
Steve Thomson, airfield operations manager at the airport, added: ‘The action Scottish Water is taking is excellent because the gull colony that was there was a severe hazard because it was so close to our runways.’ The method of dealing with problem has also been welcomed by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelly to Animals (SSPCA).
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