Officials at the Pickles Butte Landfill in Caldwell, Idaho are using Avian Mitigation Drones, which, in other words, are remote-controlled eagles that are keeping the birds away from the landfill.
“You’d be surprised how well this works,” said Jack Biddle, landfill director. “The first time we flew one of the eagles, within seconds there was a flock of seagulls scrambling to get away from it.”
The so-called Avian Mitigation Drones are made out of expanded polypropylene, a durable type of foam. Their bodies are approximately two and a half feet long with close to about a five-foot wingspan.
They were purchased from a company in Taiwan, China and cost about $135 per fake eagle body. The landfill currently owns two drones.
The seagulls are considered a nuisance because when they’re airborne the droppings can pose a possible health risk – as well as an unpleasant mess.
The fake eagles are only able to fly with little or no wind.
The landfill staff also use kites, firecracker type blanks, whistlers and the application of daily soil cover to help control the seagulls.
Source: KPIC
Where can I get one of these?