Myrtle Beach International Airport Officials will kill animals on site to prevent strikes with incoming and outgoing flights.

According to the FAA this year there have been 16 strikes between planes and animals while landing or taking off at MYR

From 1990-2010, there were nearly 150 strikes at MYR.

Three of them are reported as serious.

MYR documents state only 1 out o f 5 strikes are actually recorded; meaning those numbers could be much higher.

MYR holds an active US Fish and Wildlife Depredation Permit that allow them to kill animals they deem to be a threat to plane traffic.

Animals observed on the runway range from small birds, to larger ones like hawks, vultures, and even in some cases bald eagles, and it is not just birds.

Wild dogs, deer, raccoons, and other mammals are frequently reported.

Myrtle Beach International is surrounded by woods on both sides of the runway, and is less than a mile from the coast, and only a few miles away from the Myrtle Beach State Park; which could add to a diverse array of animals near and on site at MYR.

However, the types of animals that are killed and how frequently is is unknown.

News 13 made several Freedom of Information requests for the numbers and details, but was told to compile the documents would cost $2,450 and take 3 to 4 months to gather.

Also News 13 was told we were not able to look at the documents in person because the documents contained confidential information.

News 13 requested on camera interviews with Pat Apone, Director of Horry County Airports, Kirk Lovell, Assistant Director of Horry County Airports, and Ryan Betcher, Business Development Manager for Horry County Airports, but our requests were refused.

News 13 reached out to several conservationist groups including Coastal Conservation League, the Wildlife Federation, and the Audubon Society; however local representatives said they were too unfamiliar with animal depredation at airports to comment.

Pilots say it is something that needs to be done.

“No one wants to see an animal put down for any reason, but at a certain point you need to weigh the balance of human life and wildlife,” said Jeremy Bass.

Bass is the owner of Oceanfront Helicopters which shares a runway with MYR.

He says as a pilot he has experienced strikes with animals in air, as well as seen every sort of animal imaginable on runways

“I’ve seen it all over the years deer on the runway, foxes; I’ve even seen a cow on the runway,” said Bass.

He says he has not had an issue yet at MYR.

“Over a million flights here and we’ve never experienced a bird strike on takeoff or landing”

News 13 reached out to ILM, International Airport in Wilmington, NC and CHS International Airport in Charleston, SC, both similar size airports to MYR and about two hours away, for the same information.

Both responded within a day.

ILM officials say they only killed one animal within the last year; a copperhead snake.

CHS officials say airport officials killed 122 birds and 10 deer at last check over the last year.