It sounds made up, but drone-hunting eagles are an actual thing. Trained by Dutch police since 2015, these birds of prey are ready to ruin some flying technology.
Official use of the birds to take down drones was just announced on Tuesday, making the Netherlands the first country to implement eagles to combat drones flying in restricted airspace.
Safety for the animals was a concern, but none of them were hurt during the demonstrations made open to the public.
“None of the eagles were hurt, but as for the drones, none of them survived,” police spokesman Dennis Janus says. “The eagles see the drones as prey and intercept them as they are flying, before landing where they feel safe with the drone still in their claws.”
The police force has been using eagles from Guard From Above, which trains eagles to take down drones. Dutch police bought four sea eagle chicks to train for disabling drones after trials last year, however, they don’t expect the to be developed enough until net summer.
