‘Really, That’s a Job?’ Only 4 Wildlife Biologists Work at Airports Nationwide

Aug. 29—Wildlife biologist Marcus Machemehl was off duty when he received a strange call.

"Bring your net," an American Airlines representative said. "A little monkey got out — you need to get up here!"

A rhesus macaque named Dawkins was running loose in the nonpublic baggage claim area at San Antonio International Airport. The primate was bound for his new home at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in La Salle County.

Machemehl called Animal Care Services director Shannon Sims for backup. Dawkins, scared, clambered up into a tangle of conveyor belts and crevasses after his transport crate busted open as it was offloaded from a plane. Machemehl worked with peers from the San Antonio Zoo and ACS to catch the 2-foot-tall monkey.

"He was up in the corner, just sitting there," said Machemehl, 40. "I think he was more shocked he was out of his cage."

An hour later, Sims was able to sedate the escapee with a tranquilizer dart.

Machemehl's job is to ensure the safety of airport employees and passengers and to keep animals and wildlife clear of San Antonio's airports. A member of the safety and wildlife team, he is one of four wildlife biologists in the nation employed at an airport — other airports use contractors to remove animals.

"We work with Marcus regularly, and he's very good at what he does," ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said. "He's professional, proficient and compassionate. That matters when addressing animal concerns."

Machemehl has received calls for wildlife such as coyotes, geese, raccoons, ringtail cats, white-tail deer and snakes.

"You never know what you're going to get involved in," he said. "Every day is a new day."

In 2006, Machemehl graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in rangeland, wildlife and fisheries management.

Thirteen years ago, he saw a posting for the airport job not long after Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River after striking a flock of geese. Aircraft bird strikes, such as with the "Miracle on the Hudson," would figure prominently in his future.

Machemehl was hired as an environmentalist. He was promoted after taking classes on birds and qualifying as a wildlife biologist through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2014. He clocks into work early, reads overnight reports and logs in any bird strikes. At daylight, he drives his Dodge truck around the airfield, looking for animals on the move.

"My job is to make the airport as unattractive as possible to animals," Machemehl said. "Wildlife means food, water, cover and space. You take one of those out, they're going to go somewhere else to find it."

At his core are lessons learned growing up on a farm in Bellville, where he had visions of becoming a ranch manager. He was a 4-H club member, working long hours to raise chickens, cattle and rabbits. At times, he relies on insight from old farmers and ranchers whose sage advice has yet to be wrong.

Twice a month, in the morning and evening, he does wildlife surveys. Machemehl stops at 13 points on the airfield and two off property, sitting at each spot for five minutes to count the birds in the area. The operations and maintenance teams often alert him to activity in the area. He builds his own traps for larger birds, such as great horned owls and Swainson's hawks. He uses a bucket truck to check pigeon traps at hangars around the airfield.

He's seen his share of migratory birds en route to Mexico around the airport. He said two banded peregrine falcons from Canada were struck by a plane, and because they are endangered, he had to report the data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In October, he keeps an eye out for a winged sign of seasonal weather — scissor-tailed flycatchers on the north side of Runway 4.

"People talk about, 'When they're gone, cold is coming,' " Machemehl said. "When they show back up in the spring, you know winter is over."

His job isn't always about encounters with winged and clawed wild animals. Sometimes his role calls for a more nuanced approach with small, roaming pets. Recently, Machemehl responded to a call for several puppies romping at property around Stinson Municipal Airport. When he parked his truck near the airport tower, the pups ran out to him. Machemehl said that after he picked up four of the dogs, three others dashed away. He retrieved two of those and returned the next day to pick up the last straggler.

After work, animals still play a part in his life. He lives with his family in the country, where they have several dogs, barn cats, chickens and a few cows.

When people ask Machemehl what he does for a living and he tells them, some say, "Really, that's a job?" He knows they aren't aware of what goes on behind the scenes, out of sight of passengers streaming through the airport terminals.

That's why Machemehl stresses the importance of keeping San Antonio airfields safe and free of hazards, animals and wildlife.

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