An eagle from Guard From Above tackles a drone in the air, in Katwijk, Netherlands, May 10, 2016.
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The Dutch police bought a number of eagles and are now training them to hunt drones.
“The eagles see the drones as prey and intercept them as they are flying”, said police spokesman Dennis Janus to Agence France-Presse.
According to The Guardian newspaper, similar tests have been conducted since 2015 as the number of drones disobeying to police directives have significantly increased.
Several trials have been conducted since past year and the Dutch forces confirmed Monday that the results had met their expectations.
The eagles will now be deployed whenever drones are believed to be posing a threat to the public or flying close to airports or sensitive areas.
None of the birds were hurt during testing, however none of the drones survived. Part of the training process involves conditioning the eagles to see drones as prey.
Following the trials, Dutch police bought four sea eagle chicks, which are now five months old.
An global news agency quoted Janus as saying, “None of the eagles were hurt, but as for the drones, none of them survived”. As they wait for the birds to mature, officers will be using eagles supplied by Guard from Above, a company specialising in the birds. According to the police, this trial proved successful, which is why it was made a decision to invest in a number of bald eagles.
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“We haven’t found any other method to intercept the drones, but we are continuing to explore other possibilities”, Janus said.
