Whitehaven in Cumbria, UK, is under attack. From seagulls. The birds have been known to attack tourists for food. And, they recently killed a dog! Yeah, touch a dog, stray or otherwise, and people go mad. Even if it is a mad dog. Anyhow, the populace now wants something to be done about the seagulls.
One suggestion being considered is an anti-seagull drone. The drone will fly over gull nests and spray the eggs with oil or paraffin. Eggshells coated with oil do not let oxygen pass. Effectively, the yolk is choked, so the egg does not hatch. Voilà, the seagull population drops.
Trouville-sur-Mer in France was the first town to test the drones. Designed by robotic experts, the drone is programmed to spot gull nests. It has steel buffer rings around it to fend off gull attacks and to keep the birds from being sliced by the rotors.
Egg oiling is already popular in the UK, but it is being done manually. The drone is expected to reduce the risks faced by staff who often climb to precarious perches, while being dive-bombed by gulls.
One fear is about spraying flammable liquids on rooftops. What if the drone crashes into, say, a chimney and sets off a fire? Well, the people of Whitehaven are willing to run the risk to be rid of the winged vermin.
