Boy Scouts Place 8 Goshawk Traps To Safely Capture Birds Of Prey At LAX
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Uniformed Boy Scouts from Palos Verdes Estates Monday placed newly built Goshawk traps at Los Angeles International Airport to capture birds of prey.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 257 built eight semi-permanent traps to assist LAX in relocating birds of prey, such as red-tailed hawks and barn owls, as well as to reduce the likelihood of an aircraft striking a bird, according to Marshall Lowe, of the airport's public relations department.
The traps were placed at a restricted airfield site at 10 a.m.
Wildlife strikes cause an estimated $625 million in damage every year to the U.S. aviation industry, KNX1070's Margaret Carrero reports.
Boy Scouts Place 8 Goshawk Traps To Safely Capture Birds Of Prey At LAX
"The top 'A' frame portion of the trap contains spring-powered doors, a hinge-mounted perch trigger, nylon netting, and bait cage. The perch collapses once a bird lands on it, which causes it to safely drop inside the trap as the doors shut," Lowe said in a statement. "Once the bird is removed from the trap, it can be banded and placed into a carrier until it is dropped off at the local rehab center for relocation."
LAX also conducts habitat modification by eliminating wildlife-attracting vegetation, habitat exclusion such as fencing, and noise repellants such as sound cannons and sirens to keep the birds of prey from a dangerous environment and to reduce the likelihood of them returning to the airport.
