Thread: Dutch police train eagles to snatch drones out of the sky

Dutch police are training eagles to snatch rogue drones from the sky during emergencies, in the latest effort to combat unsafe drone use.

In a partnership with "raptor training company" Guard From Above, the Dutch National Police began the trial as an alternative to using nets to bring unwanted drones down.

GIF:

https://zippy.gfycat.com/ComplexNega...asslizard.webm

"There are situations where drones cannot fly … almost always related to safety," said Mark Wiebes, innovation manager of the National Unit of the police.

"There is a case where an air ambulance would land but could not because someone out there flew a drone.

"You can also imagine that people want to take beautiful pictures of an event and fly a drone above the crowd. If that drone falls from the sky, it can be dangerous for the people below."

As a solution, the eagles have been trained to see the drone as prey, catching it and taking it to a safe area, police said.

Dutch police have also been researching other methods of combating drones, including trying to take over the drone's systems or using safety nets to bring them out of the sky.

Police said they would continue tests for a few months before deciding whether to implement the eagles full-time.



Dutch police train eagles to snatch unwanted drones out of the sky - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

That was filmed in an indoor horse riding school, you can see the dressage letters placed on the perimeter boards.

The British police have opted for a more traditional approach..

We were shopping the other day when we heard this infernal buzzing - a drone about 20 metres away - bloody annoying thing, far too close to shops to be safe.

Nope, can't stand the things

They had an American bald eagle in the video, would that be safe flying a big bird like that over a crowd, surely its instincts would make it want to lift a little dog rather than a drone.
That other big bird of prey they where demonstrating seemed to get its feathers caught in the propeller blades.

Now, pirates gonna use the same trick to hijack Amazon drone shipments, yes.

Originally Posted by wasabi

They had an American bald eagle in the video,

Could have been Canadian Bald Eagle

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

The British police have opted for a more traditional approach..

Not a good idea for the same reason it cannot be downed like skeet shooting; anything they shoot at it has to come down somewhere.

I'd worry about the birds getting cut by the wee props...