Balloons and Animals

Hot air balloons and most animals we encounter are fairly compatible as long as the hot air balloonist understands the situation from the viewpoint of the animal and the owner. All domestic animals have evolved from some ancient ancestor that had to protect itself from other animals that wanted to eat it. Different animals developed different defense mechanisms. Most of these responses are either fight or flight. To some of these animals either a hot air balloon or the sound the burner makes represents a danger and they respond according to their heritage.

Most animals that run are responding to a loud noise with no visible source. Their first reaction is to run straight ahead. If this means going through a fence or a corral then injury can result. Once the initial panic reaction is over then they will look around to locate the source of the noise. The best course of action is to stop the burner and start talking. This gives the animal a chance to locate the source of the noise before it starts again. Next use your metering valve and turn on the fuel slowly. If you must use the main burner valve, a long blast will probably cause less panic that several short blasts.

The shear size of the balloon in the sky can also be a factor. For many smaller animals like dogs, cats and other small mammals like rabbits and squirrels much of the danger came from the sky. To a panicked rabbit your hot air balloon probably looks like the biggest bird of prey he has ever seen.

Dogs In suburban areas most dogs are kept in yards. Unfortunately some are chained to a stake in the ground. Dogs that are chained will often panic and can choke themselves into unconsciousness in their struggles. Your best option is to gain altitude and reduce the threat.

Watch for kennel operations. They appear as long sheds with narrow chain link pens along one or both sides. Most of the time the dogs will take cover inside the kennel and pose no problems.

Dogs often react by barking or howling. They are responding to the burner sounds we can't even hear. Using the metering valve or Fire Two will help some, but generally dogs who bark at balloons are dogs who bark at everything.

Country dogs generally run free and some are very protective of their territory. You can get bitten by landing in the wrong pasture. Always take growls and threatening actions from a dog seriously. If you can, do not respond with either aggression or panic. Be cool. Move slowly and talk quietly. Don't try and pet the animal. Just try and establish that you are no danger and then leave. If you feel you must establish some contact, crouch down and offer the back of your hand to the dog. Let the dog sniff your hand and then move on. If you feel you are in a dangerous situation try and back out of it. Dogs have much less of a tendency to attack someone who is in eye contact with them.

Cats Domestic cats are little or no worry to balloonists. A cat will either ignore you or run and find something to hide under. The average outdoor cat spends a lot more time hunting birds than he spends running from birds. At the most, the cat may look upon you as a possible meal until he or she realizes how big you are.

Horses Watch for corrals constructed of wood and divided into small sections. They will often have shelter attached to them and in the heat of the day the animals will often be inside. Even though most horse operations are small family operations with 1-4 horses, many people board their horses in large stables. The bigger the stable the more expensive the horses.

If you fly in an area with a race track the danger is particularly high. These horses are fed special diets to encourage them to run fast. They will often panic at the slightest provocation. The younger the horse the worse the reaction.

Horses are far more likely to be injured if they are in a small corral or paddock than if they are loose in a pasture. The smaller the area a horse is kept in the greater the danger the animal will hurt itself. The typical panic reaction for a horse is to either run or kick. Both of these can cause damage to the horse or it's surrounding. If you're around, the damage can occur to you.

Whenever you have to fly over horses in small enclosures you have to expect at least the horse to panic. Anything you can do to let the horse calmly know you are in the area will help. If you can, go high. Avoid sudden sharp sounds. If you must use your main burner, turn it on gradually, keep it on for a long burst and then stay off of it as long as you can. If you can wait for a horse to turn away from a fence or gate before you fire the burner this will often prevent him from charging through the fence. Between bursts, talk to your passengers in normal tones. This fills in the silence and often will calm a horse.

Talking directly to the horse in a soothing voice will also help. You will be surprised how far away they can hear you. Horses are used to people telling them to calm down and to take it easy. Any horse that is ridden understands the word 'Whoa.' Talk to the horse like the owner might. Whatever you do, don't use horns or whistle or yell. If you do, you might want to be prepared to pay a large veterinary bill or buy a dead horse.

If you can't fly high over a horse, another useful technique is to get down low and let the horse see you coming from a considerable distance away. A horse has very good lateral vision, but they can't see up very well. Getting down low at least lets them know you are in the area. Then if you can use the metering valve set as low as you can safely use it to fly across and beyond them you may be able to avoid a panic.

If everything fails and a horse goes through a fence and either gets caught in the fence or injures itself you may be the key to its survival. You need to land and/or contact your chase crew, find the owner, and solve the problem. If the horse is caught in a fence, try and clam the horse and stop the struggling. If the horse has a halter on and you can safely get control of the head you can often stop him from fighting the fence. If the horse is down, you can control all his actions by sitting on his neck and pulling his nose up close to your chest. If the horse has any visible cut it needs to have veterinary attention immediately. An owner may give you a cussing for having damaged their animal but they will appreciate the fact that you stopped and did something. By the way, be prepared to pay the vet bill.

Cattle Most beef cattle operations today run mixed breed animals. They use land that is usually unsuitable for crops in the summer and often feed on cropland after harvest in the fall. Owners tend to move the animals frequently from site to site so you can't predict where they will be from week to week.

In open areas, you can expect to find cattle in any area where the foliage has been eaten down to a couple of inches. From the air, the areas often appear to be mowed. You should be able to see fences and you can often identify trails where the animals move from feed to water.

Occasionally, you will be able to recognize the following breeds:

Angus - Are solid black. They tend to be nervous in nature. In hot weather they will seek shade so you may not see them until you land. They can be aggressive.

Hereford - Are usually recognized by their white faces and reddish bodies. They are docile and will usually either trot away or approach the balloon out of curiosity. Many pasture cattle are fed supplemental hay by their owners. When you land in a hot air balloon the gondola probably looks like a big bale of hay and they will often come over to investigate. Cows won't bite you or the gondola so don't worry about it.

Brahma and Brahma-cross - Have a buff brown coloring, big ears that hang down and a noticeable hump on their back. They are bad news. Some of them are very gentle, but generally they have a reputation for bad tempers and mean horns. Stay clear. They are dangerous and unpredictable. The cross-breds are found nationwide but the purebreds are usually only found in the hot south.

Beef cattle are more of problem because of the owner's perceptions than because of actual problems with the animal. Some owners will insist that you are running pounds off their livestock. All they want them to do is to stand around and eat and they feel any movement runs off pounds. It will not do you any good to argue with an owner who feels this way. They are convinced and nothing you can say will change their minds.

You can often predict potential problems by how the animals are reacting as you approach. If they run and mill around for more than 15 to 20 seconds you may have problems. If they just run a short distance and then turn and look at you, chances are any panic problems are over. Most of the time they won't stampede. Once in a while you will find a cow that wants to fight. If she does, leave her alone and fly on. An angry cow is more dangerous than any bull because they are unpredictable and once they become angry they will keep after you until you decide to leave.

Any bulls in a pasture are a different story. They can be spotted by their obvious size and distinctive equipment. My advice is to stay clear or fly on. If you have to land in a field with a bull, watch him every minute you are there. Most beef bulls will give you considerable warning before they charge. Bellows and stamping and other shows of belligerence set the stage. What he is really trying to do is to get you to leave without a fight. Once that fails, he may charge. If he does, keep the basket between you and the bull. After a few butts, which may do a pretty good number on the basket, he will usually walk off and leave you alone.

Dairies can be identified fairly easily from the air. The predominate dairy breed is the Holstein. The cows have large black and white patterned areas. The cattle are usually kept in groups of 100 in long pens placed side by side. The fences will either be steel posts and cable or wooden planks. Somewhere, there will be a milking barn and usually a large amount of baled hay. The feed is placed into troughs that line long alleys or roads between the rows of pens. There may also be a large lagoon where the manure is washed from the milk house. It is a very poor place to attempt a splash-n-dash.

Most dairymen are very sensitive to anything that disturbs their cows. Most of them feel that it causes a loss of milk production. This may or may not be true, but you can't change their opinion. Stay high if you can and if you can't at least take the time to go by the dairy and to explain to the dairyman why you were so close. Once again you may take some heat, but chances are your expression of concern for his feelings may prevent another red area.

Dairy bulls are particularly dangerous. They are big, they are unpredictable and they will kill you without a moments hesitation. Holstein bulls have the typical black and white marking, but from the air they have a distinct wedge shape with big shoulders and a small rear end.

Feedlots are concentration points where large numbers of cattle are fed special diets prior to slaughter. From the air they can appear similar to dairies, but usually the arrangement of the pens is more random. The animals are more densely packed into the pens and you can often hear the cattle before you can see them.

These cattle are under constant stress due to their diet and environment. Fly high over them if you can. I can think of no reason other than a severe emergency where you would want to even land close by. The grounds around the average operation are usually covered with wire and old equipment. The stench on the average day will make your eyes water. The dust will give your balloon aroma that will last for weeks.

Buffalo Stay out of a buffalo herd. Both the cows and the bulls are dangerous. The cows are particularly protective of their young. Buffalo also have a tendency to stampede and when they do, fences don't mean a lot to them. If you see them, fly high.

Pigs The stench from the average hog farm is bad. You will often smell them before you can see them. Because of this, the pigs are usually placed away from the main buildings on the rest of the farm. Many hog operations today are in large closed sheds. There is probably enough noise in the shed to block out any intrusion from a hot air balloon. Once again, look out for the lagoon.

Swine operations offer few problems. Pigs are really pretty smart. The reaction to the burner noise will vary. Most pigs will jump a little when they first hear the burner, but that's about all they will do. A few will charge straight through the nearest fence. Pigs in a pasture will generally stay away and pose no danger to the balloon.

Sheep Sheep ranches are becoming fewer and fewer. Sheep are flock animals and graze in large bunches. The are mostly seen as masses of gray or white objects from the balloon. In pastures, the ground will appear almost stripped of all vegetation.

Sheep are not very bright. They panic easily and run all over each other. If threatened, a ram will charge and if he hits you it will hurt. Like beef bulls, usually there is much stamping and parading before he finally decides a fight is inevitable.

Chickens & Turkeys Most chickens today are raised in closed sheds. From the air you will see long rectangular buildings, sometimes 150 feet in length. The noise inside the chicken house is usually loud enough that the sound of a burner will not penetrate.

When chickens and turkeys are kept in open pens, they think you are the biggest hawk they have ever seen. They will run around a lot a make plenty of noise, but they usually don't damage themselves provided the flock isn't too large and they have enough room to run around. In some turkey operations the birds are packed in enough that it is very possible that they could pile up and smother the birds on the bottom.

Ostriches, Emus and other exotic birds. You need to know where these operations are located and stay clear of them. The birds are excitable and the owners are worse. Most owners keep the birds in large pens with 2-4 birds to a pen. The birds will run from the sound of the burner, but generally they seem to know where the fence is located and do not try and breach it.

If you must land near one of these operations, do not approach these big birds. They kick like a mule and they strike with their beak.

Exotic and Wild Animals In recent years there has been a tendency for people to acquire exotic species. Llamas are currently very popular. They are considered domestic animals in South America. Llamas are expensive. You don't want to be blamed for one getting hurt. In general they are much smarter than horses so you don't have a lot to worry about. They do spit when they are upset.

Never, never, never land in a zoo or around a zoo if you can possibly avoid it. The collection of animal species in any zoo has been acquired through a lot of time, money and effort. Many of the species have a tendency to panic and will kill themselves trying to get away from a perceived danger. Your best bet is to know the area, plan ahead and fly at least 1,000 or more AGL over any zoo. If you notice any panic effect use Fire Two or a metering valve.

This about covers the animals you are likely to encounter flying balloons except for the wild species. In most cases the free ranging wild animal is used to running from danger and will not injure themselves running from your balloon.

You should stay away from nesting areas for large birds like geese or eagles. They usually nest in dead trees in or next to large bodies of waters. 500 AGL is the usual rule.

Owners Whenever you contact or fly over animals, be aware that you are invading their territory. This goes for their owners as well. Be careful, be considerate and be courteous. If you have to face an angry owner, listen to their complaints quietly, try and understand their viewpoint and most of all don't argue with them. Most of these people just want you to recognize and acknowledge their concerns. If you find that you have caused damage to their livestock or property, offer to help correct the damage and be prepared to pay if necessary.