For more than 30 years, Ken Wayne was a familiar face of Bay Area television news. While the longtime anchorman — who retired this spring — is off the air now, he plans to spend a good chunk of his free time up in the air — saving abused and abandoned animals one small planeload at a time.
Wayne, 63, founded Flying Tails six years ago and has flown all over the state helping rescue dozens of dogs, bear cubs, raccoons and even a bald eagle. The animals he transports are either injured, abandoned or in a kill shelter when rescue groups reach out to Wayne to see if he can fly them to their forever homes or rescue ranches.
“We take dogs from all over the state of California and it’s much easier on the dog if they can fly up here than have to drive in a car,’’ said Alice Mayn, the founder and CEO of Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary in Sonoma County. “To have a pilot who is donating his time and his aircraft to transport a needy creature is just exceptional. What a gift he is to the dogs and humans alike.”
Ken Wayne, second from right, loads two dog crates into his Cessna 182 at Santa Monica Airport for a Flying Tails animal rescue mission, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Gemma, a golden retriever-lab mix also flying north to her new home, waits with her handler Brett Herman for her time to board. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Ken Wayne loads Gemma aboard his animal rescue transport Flying Tails at Santa Monica Airport and a trip to her new home in Sonoma County, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Wayne, a Navy veteran who earned his pilot’s license 25 years ago, said animals and flying are two of his favorite things, so combining the passions was a natural fit. And the animals seem to respond well in the air.
“There’s something special about the calming effect flying has,” said Wayne, a Marin County native. “Even a distressed animal who’s been through God knows what, invariably settles down and even goes to sleep. Maybe it’s the smooth drone of the engine or the plane’s vibration, but it’s soothing. … And when I’m up in the air, cruising along in almost a Zen state, knowing this animal is going to be in a whole better place, well, that’s a huge satisfaction.”
Wayne, who lives in Petaluma, recently incorporated Flying Tails as a nonprofit organization, which will allow him to use his Cessna 182 Skylane to transport more animals at greater distances because he will receive some financial support from donors.
On a clear, warm day last week, Wayne and co-pilot Lou Rivas flew from the Livermore Airport to the Santa Monica Airport to pick up an injured chihuahua that had been rescued in Harbin, China, by an American-led group, Slaughterhouse Survivors.
Cupcake and King Charles wait at Santa Monica Airport to board Ken Wayne’s animal rescue transport Flying Tails, and the final leg …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
