With drones becoming more advanced and more available every day, police agencies around the world are struggling with the problem of controlling illegal drone activity. For instance, along the Mexican border, there are reports of drones replacing drug smugglers because they can just fly over the border silently in the night with a payload of drugs. It seems like at least once a week you hear of a Mexican drone falling out of the sky with a package of meth strapped to it.
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Drones are also creating a privacy issue. Take for instance the story of the father who spotted a drone hovering around his backyard where his teenage daughter was sunbathing. The father solved the problem with a 12 gauge shotgun. This was the first major case that involved the question of privacy violations involving drones, and the judge ruled in favor of the father with the shotgun.
So between privacy and the ability to deliver a payload, police agencies across the world are debating how to handle the increase in the drones filling up our airspace. Dutch police have come up with an interesting tactic to deal with rogue drones: eagles. Yep, you read that correctly, eagles. The special birds are trained to snatch drones out of the sky and carry them to a safe place. The idea is aimed at preventing situations where a drone could deliver a bomb to a crowded area, or to prevent some other nefarious drone activity.
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Questions have been raised about the safety of the birds because the spinning blades of the drones could hurt their legs and feet. Dutch police are testing their theory, and I have to say: watching a giant flying raptor attack a drone in mid-flight is pretty impressive, to say the least. Check out this video of these amazing birds gaining air superiority:
