Landing in Alaska? Fear moose collisions no more
Staff and agencies
22 October, 2005

Fri Oct 21,11:15 AM ET

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Pilots flying into and out of a small airport north of Anchorage, Alaska, no longer have to keep an eye out for stray moose on the runway.

The municipal airport at Wasilla, a town about 40 miles north of Anchorage, has installed an electric anti-moose mat around the airfield.

The barrier, similar to grated cattle guards on ranches, aims to prevent collisions between aircraft and the area‘s large moose population.

"They‘d feel a shock and they‘d also hear a snap. Those two things would cause the moose to not go in there," said Archie Giddings, public works director for Wasilla.

Airfield workers regularly had to chase the large ungulates away and moose have proved adept at getting through the gates of the airport‘s conventional fence, Giddings said.

"If they ever did come to the runway and have a collision with an aircraft, that could be disastrous to the pilot," Giddings said. "An airplane could disintegrate if it hits a moose."