What do you do if birds won't
stopping pooping on your roof?
Call in the Robops,
that's what!
Back in March, two robot peregrine
falcons took up position at Waverley Railway Station in Edinburgh,
standing guard over the new roof and keeping pesky pigeons at
bay.
Believe it or not, companies spend
thousands of pounds every year cleaning up after pigeons and
seagulls. Their stinky mess can be dangerous to staff and cause
floods by blocking the drains.
Enter the Robop -
RObotic Bird Of
Prey. The lifelike plastic predators are
programmed to swivel their heads, flap their wings and shriek, just
like the real thing.
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John Donald of Robop, the Scottish
company which makes the robots, said: "Peregrines live off other
birds, so pigeons and seagulls are terrified of them.
"Robop has been designed to look,
move and sound like a real peregrine falcon in order to cause the
same reaction as the real bird."
A (real) peregrine falcon in action...
The aim is to fool pesky pigeons
into thinking that a deadly peregrine falcon has moved into their
territory, scaring them away and making sure that they never come
back!
Although it costs £9000 for a pair,
that is less than Network Rail has to spend getting rid of pigeons
and clearing up all their mess.
A company spokesman said: "If we
didn't act to keep numbers in check, the station environment would
quickly become very unpleasant and could lead to slips and
falls."
Edinburgh Station is not the only
place to have installed Robops...
The All England Tennis Club, where
the Wimbledon tournament is held, is protected by Robops. And they
can also be found watching over buildings across the world from
Amsterdam, to Sicily and Saudi Arabia.
Text adapted from an article on The Daily What
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