As tech firms and law enforcement experiment with radio jammers and net-wielding interceptor drones to take down rogue quadcopters, police in the Netherlands are trialling a simpler solution: eagles. In either of these cases, however, you run the risk of having the drone go completely out of control, which is even more risky.
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The website reports that the Dutch police are collaborating with the Guard From Above, a raptor training organization in Denmark, to specifically train eagles to react to drones and deliver them back to a safety area. “The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe place, a place where there are no other birds or people”. The force says it’s trying to counter the increasing use of drones by the public. The handlers then trade the drone for treat to reward the eagle.
There are, of course, all kinds of added complications when it comes to working with live, trained animals, and so the Dutch National Police force is also working on a net-based solution.
Video footage released by the police at the weekend shows a bird of prey grabbing a drone in its talons and bringing it to the ground.
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Obviously there’s the chance that an eagle could get hurt by the blades on a drone. Testing will last a few months and then the Dutch police will decide if they will continue to use eagles to combat unwanted drones.
