Most people have seen cars slow down to make way for passing ducks – but what about a 35-tonne, twin-engine airplane?
Onlookers were treated to that much stranger sight this week at Vancouver International Airport, where an Air Canada Dreamliner was briefly delayed by a mother duck and four ducklings that were waddling down the tarmac.
The showdown, which happened at around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, apparently only lasted a minute or so before the plane was able to continue on its path. Jeremy Wang recorded the video.
A spokesperson for YVR told CTV News it's very rare to see ducks on the tarmac, in part because the airport employs two dogs to avoid these very scenarios as part of its Wildlife Hazard Management Program.
The dogs, named Pilot and Flight, are trained to chase birds away from the airport and surrounding fields safely.
As for Thursday, the spokesperson said the dogs weren't just sleeping on the job – Pilot and Flight only work from October to May, when water fowl are most active in the area.
