Wing, a home delivery cargo drone service in Australia, has been temporarily shut down after its devices were constantly attacked by ravens trying to protect their nests, The Canbera Times reported.
Wing will wait for experts to study the birds’ behavior before it can start serving again.
Temporarily closed to service
Wing, operated by Google’s comprehensive company Alphabet, has been delivering everything from coffee, medicine and office supplies to Canberra residents since 2019; announced this Tuesday that it will pause its services due to several cases of ravens attacking flying machines.
Ben Roberts, a local resident who orders coffee with Wing every morning, recorded the latest bird attack and posted it online. Speaking to The Canbera Times, Roberts said of the bird attacks, “It’s only a matter of time before they take someone down. They think it’s a Terminator or something. ” said. Here are the moments when a bird attacked a drone:
“This is their sky and we are visitors”
According to a report by ABC News Australia, Wing said in a statement to customers in the region that it has detected some birds that are behaving aggressively and attacking moving objects in the area. “We want ornithologists to investigate this further to ensure we continue to make an impact.”
Also speaking to The Times on the subject, a company representative said that bird attacks are very rare among thousands of drone deliveries, and in the very unlikely event that a bird comes into direct contact with one of the company’s drones, it is necessary for the flight to continue safely. He also underlined that they have the necessary precautions.
“They attack dogs and other movements around their nests, but attacking drones is new,” ornithologist Neil Hermes told ABC News Australia.
Wayne Condon, chief pilot and instructor of UAV Training Australia, told The Canbera Times: “At the end of the day, it’s their sky and we’re visitors. If you act fast enough, you can save your plane and not hurt the bird!” He said drone operators should avoid known nesting sites.
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