Commercial-Mining Drones Keep Getting Attacked By Eagles (abc.net.au)

An anonymous reader summarizes an article from ABC News: The world's seventh-biggest gold producer has lost more than nine drones because of eagle attacks. "People couldn't believe I was able to get such a good photo of an eagle airborne," complained surveyor Rick Steven at a conference sponsored by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. "But I didn't... Another eagle took that photo... I was getting attacked by two eagles simultaneously." The specially-constructed drones carry a $10,000 camera for high-resolution photos and equipment that produces high-detail contour maps of potential mining areas, and so far the company estimates they've lost more than $100,000 worth of technology to eagle attacks. They've tried camouflage -- including disguising the drones as another eagle -- but unfortunately, according to Stevens, the eagle is the "natural enemy" of the drone.
One drone's video is interrupted by the sudden appearance of an eagle, followed almost immediately by footage from the ground by a sideways drone camera. That video -- included in the article -- ends with a reminder that "Eagle attacks on drones have been documented across the world, to the point where some European police forces are now training them to take down unauthorized aircraft."

Comments

What about the eagles?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm only worried about them and don't give a shit about the drones. Can they get hurt by the attacks?

The eagles are right

[Required Snark]

The eagles attack the drones because they are defending their territory. In this case the intruders are "commercial mining" interests. If the miners find anything they will inevitably destroy the local ecology and the eagles will suffer a great population loss or even be wiped out in the mining area. So the eagles are doing the right thing by making it harder for land exploitation businesses to destroy their homes.

I'm on the side of the eagles on this one.

Respect the pecking order. Don't fly above them

[NetFusion]

After flying RC planes/helicopters/quads for decades you learn that flying above a bird of prey is considered an aggressive dominating move and they will almost always counter to defend their territory and reestablish dominance. If you fly below them like the other smaller birds they consider you prey and rarely attack because you are not their familiar favorite meal.