Watch Dutch Police Train Eagles to Catch Flying Drones

An eagle perched on the outskirts of an indoor arena watches a white, unarmed drone hover above ground, then swoops in and snatches it out of the air before it lands in a corner and tries to take a nibble at it.

That bird is just one of a number of eagles the Dutch police are training to intercept small drones. They’re being helped by Guards from Above, a Denmark-based raptor training company that claims to be the first company to train birds to catch “hostile drone,” although they do not elaborate as to what kind of drone is considered hostile and what is not.

Guards from Above’s website boasts that using birds of prey is a “low-tech solution to a high-tech problem.”

“Sometimes the solution to a hypermodern problem is more obvious than you might think,” the website says.

But one concern that’s been raised is whether it’s actually safe for birds to regularly trap sharp pieces of metal and plastic when they’re more used to catching small animals to kill.

Guard from Above said they’re looking into the issue, but in the meantime remain confident the birds are up to the task.

“In nature, birds of prey often overpower large and dangerous prey,” the website says. “Their talons have scales, which protect them, naturally, from their victims’ bites.”

Watch the birds in action below:

Photo Credit: Screenshot