Anxiety or stress at the airport is a reality for many of us. San Francisco Airport therefore developed the ‘Wag Brigade’ initiative to calm nervous travelers.
To calm nervous travelers before their flight, an airport in the United States has hired the services of a cat named Duke Ellington Morris. The cat, better known as Duke, is the newest member of San Francisco International Airport’s ‘Wag Brigade’.
‘Wag Brigade’ is an initiative launched by the airport in 2013 whereby trained dogs go to the terminals to make traveling more pleasant for passengers. The initiative quickly grew into a success with other trained animals such as rabbits and pigs also joining the team and now Duke is the latest addition. The 14-year-old black and white cat’s appointment was announced by the airport’s Twitter account, with the caption: “Welcome our newest Wag Brigade member, Duke Ellington Morris!”
Selection based on temperament
The animals are selected for their temperament and behavior and must be certified by the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) of San Francisco and have completed the ATT (Animal Assisted Therapy) program.
Feral cat
Before being called up to wear the special “Pet Me” vest at the San Francisco airport, Duke was rescued by the SPCA from a colony of feral cats in 2010 when he was still a kitten.
He was adopted by a five-year-old girl and her mother, who certified him as a therapy animal.
It is not the first time that animals have been used at airports to improve the mood of passengers. In 2017, the Cincinnati/Northern Ohio Airport introduced miniature horses to soothe stressed travelers.
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