16 June 2023 , 21:31
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The airport in San Francisco has a fun way of helping nervous customers make their flights better - the Wag Brigade, with the newest employee being a 14-year-old cat named Duke.
Airport officials tweeted a photo of Duke Ellington Morris, or 'Duke' for short, and customers were delighted by the purr-fect hiring decision.
The black-and-white cat was pictured wearing his official collar and a tiny pilot's hat - all to keep customers calm and happy while they fly.
The 'Wag Brigade' started in 2013 at the California airport in an effort to keep nervous fliers calm, and since then, they've employed not just Duke but a whole slew of animals. Initially, the airport only hired dogs, but over time the program has been expanded to include other specially trained animals, including cats, rabbits, and even the “world’s first therapy pig," LilLou.
Duke's owners commented on the official tweet, saying they couldn't be more proud or delighted. They commented, saying “Happy is not the word… elated!”
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Duke is a trained therapy cat who will be helping nervous fliers (flySFO/Twitter)His owners adopted him from the SPCA from a feral cat colony in 2010 while he was still a kitten by a mother and her five-year-old girl. Duke was eventually registered as a therapy animal.
According to the airport, animals are selected for their temperament and behavior, and must be certified by San Francisco’s SPCA, and have completed its Animal Assisted Therapy (ATT) program.
Transit hubs across America are now investing in therapy animals for passengers. After 9/11, airports began using trained animals to ease the tension of traveling. San Jose Airport became the first one to get a service dog - and since then, 30 more airports have joined in.
And Duke has some friendly felines that have broken the catnip ceiling before him - Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has a famous furry friend too - a calico named Stitches that enjoys being petted and watching Law and Order SVU when they're not on duty, according to the owner.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) began an even rarer program in 2016 - a band of miniature horses that visits twice a month. The horses are brought in from Seven Oaks Farm in the area, and each gets special training to ensure they can deal with the stress and crowds at the airport.
Airport worker Wendi Orlando told NPR at the time: “It’s just to ease anxiety levels, put smiles on faces. Clearly, that’s working.”