Heathrow bosses insist no geese cull planned
said they had no plans for a geese cull around Heathrow.
planes at increasing risk of potentially deadly bird strikes, like the one which
brought down a jet in Hudson Bay earlier this month.
the only way to reduce the threat posed by the birds, which already number 120,000
across Britain.
friends away from the runways were working and there was no need for a cull.
in a special vehicle which can play a variety of bird calls to scare off different
species.
birds, and work with local councils to ‘mitigate any risks’ from geese in nearby
fields.
Bedfont Lakes Country Park. The birds, which were sucked into the engines of the
stricken New York jet, pose a particular threat to planes because of their size.
from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), though this ranges from a swallow hitting
a light aircraft to a goose hitting a jumbo jet.
were 1,233 in the first nine months of last year alone.
the CAA which would have to give the go-ahead for a cull.
weighing up to 5lbs7oz but described this requirement as ‘the last line of defence’.
“The CAA can also advise against granting planning permission for new developments
near airports that are likely to increase the bird hazard such as landfill sites
or water parks.”