Watch This Trained Eagle Take Down A Flying Drone

As more and more civilians start flying drones, there will probably be an exponential rise in situations where authorities need to quickly take down a poorly-navigated drone hovering above a stadium or government building.

But, since drone companies have yet to provide any sort of backdoor to manually takeover the device’s controls, authorities are on their own in figuring out how to safely take down drones mid-flight.

One Dutch company, Guard From Above, has taken the innovative approach of training birds of prey to physically takedown the UAVs.

The company, which works “mainly for national and international governmental security agencies”, is currently partnering with the Dutch National Police on a trial basis to determine if using birds of prey are a realistic method for taking down drones.

Luckily, the Dutch National Police realize that while using an eagle is definitely the coolest way to take down a drone, it’s not always going to be a realistic method. So, the force is also looking into using “nets and electronic means” to complement their arsenal of falcons and eagles.

As you’d expect, the Dutch aren’t the only law enforcement agency trying to figure out the best way to take down a drone. Last month, Tokyo Police released a clip of officers flying drones with large nets to “catch” and take down smaller drones mid-flight.

And, lest we forget that these are live animals, the Dutch National Science Institute assures readers that they are looking into making sure that no birds are harmed in the line of duty.