Eagle wipes drone out, but not before killer photo captured

The skies, these days, just aren't safe, especially if you're a drone. As recently reported by ABC Rural News, farmer Leigh Nairn, from Binnu, north of Geraldton, WA, was using his drone to check the set-up of his airseeder when a wedge-tailed eagle swooped in and knocked the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) out of the sky.

The drone didn’t stand a chance against the powerful bird of prey and along with one of the propellers being knocked off, the camera was also damaged. Fortunately, Nairn was able to capture an amazing photograph before the UAV became inoperable. "I saw him come in on the left, I hit go and took a snap and then that was it. That was the last photo and the only photo of the eagle," he said.

But instances of drones under attack are not as uncommon as you’d think. Another instance in Western Australia resulted in thousands of dollars in damage to equipment, while in China a Siberian tiger had a drone for tea.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, police are training birds of prey to catch drones. And in France, eagles are being trained to attack drones that might pose a security or terror risk. 

And a recent proposal from the White House would legalise shooting drones out of the sky. The New York Times reported in Tuesday that the Trump administration is seeking congressional authority to let law enforcement officers “track, hack and destroy any type of drone over domestic soil”. 

Click here for some other impressive drone takedowns.