It seems to be like New York Metropolis’s seaside chook inhabitants has lastly had sufficient of the newly deployed armada of police drones encroaching on their territory. report The Related Press describes repeated “flock” incidents during which indignant shorebirds assault the flying robots in an try and drive them out of their residence.
Earlier this yr, the NYPD made a questionable resolution begin deploying drones on metropolis seashores. The thought was to allow them to search for sharks (to warn beachgoers and keep away from Jaws-type of scenario) and in addition to help swimmers who may be in issue and who have been past the attain of an area lifeguard. The plan apparently was to have the robots fly over drowning swimmers and drop flotation units on their heads.
Whereas the drones haven’t but saved any human lives, they’ve managed to noticeably disturb the native chook inhabitants, which has been repeatedly seen swarming and diving on the flying robots. The AP cites a number of scientists and wildlife consultants, most of whom appear to consider that the drones are having some type of adversarial impact on the seaside birds. Consultants say the birds could view the robots as an invasive species that poses a menace to their offspring.
Veronica Welsh, a wildlife specialist with town’s parks division, advised the publication that the birds are “very aggravated by the drones” and “fly at them, dive at them, make noise… They assume they’re defending their chicks from a predator.”
The article additionally quotes a professor of wildlife biology at McGill College who, surprisingly, is called David Hen. Hen, a professor of birds, tells us that the birds in query, referred to as American oystercatchers, may be induced by the flying robots to have a “stress response,” which he says may trigger them to “run off the seaside and abandon their eggs, simply as a number of thousand elegant terns did after latest drone crash in San Diego.”
Oystercatchers, whose native populations primarily nest on Rockaway Seaside, are “extremely endangered,” Hen mentioned, including that if “they have been pushed from their nests by drones, it could be catastrophic.”
Gizmodo reached out to the NYPD for extra details about its drone program however didn’t instantly obtain a response.
Replace, July 12, 3:46 p.m. ET: We have up to date this publish to replicate the truth that the birds on this story usually are not truly seagulls. We’re sorry concerning the error, however I am additionally not an ornithologist, folks.