Dutch Police Training Eagles to Disable Drones
Source Officer.com News
NETHERLANDS -- As law enforcement officials from around the world grapple with how to disable illegally operating unmanned aerial vehicles, Dutch police are employing birds of prey.
Dutch police officials said in a news release that the use of devices -- commonly known as drones -- will only increase and could be used for criminal purposes.
As officials researched ways to intercept the drones, they came up with several options, but the most intriguing was the use of specially trained eagles.
"There are situations in which drones are not allowed to fly. This has almost always to do with security, " Mark Wiebe, who headed up the project, said in a statement. "There is a case where an air ambulance attempted to land but could not because someone out there flew a drone. You can also imagine that people want to create beautiful images of an event and a drone to fly above the crowd. If the drone that falls from the sky, it can be dangerous for the people."
During a demonstration last Friday, police showed how the eagles could be used in such situations. Once the specially trained eagle the drone in sight gets them flying towards it, the bird grabs it and brings it to the ground.
"The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe place, a place where there are no other birds or people," Wiebe said. "That is what we are making use of in this project."
In a few months officials will decide definitively whether the use of birds of prey is an appropriate way to prevent unwanted drone use.
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.
