Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become unlikely prey for wedge-tailed eagles in Western Australia’s Goldfields, costing a mining giant more than $100,000 to replace its newest surveying tool. Ten UAVs have been lost since South Africa’s Gold Fields, the world’s seventh-biggest gold producer, began operating the Trimble UX5 systems at its St Ives operations near Kambalda.
Razor-sharp talons have turned the wedge-tailed eagles into what St Ives Mine surveyor Rick Steven calls “the natural enemy of the UAV”.
Click here for the full story (ABC)
Share this Post