Hotel Employs Falcons to Combat Drones

In the days of social media and good camera phones, privacy for celebrities on vacation is not easy to find. Now that the use of drones has become popular among paparazzi, it makes things trickier since staff at a resort can’t simply rely on tucked away accommodations far from a street.

Those hoping for relaxing family time or just some quiet days in the sun may find their likeness blown up and smeared on the front of a magazine or paper without even knowing how the photos were taken. Instead of using telephoto lenses from a balcony or nearby street, drones can hover high up and almost silently maneuver themselves around the trickiest cliffs and past gated areas and private “guest-only” areas.

Page Six reports that at least one hotel has come up with a brilliant solution to the pesky flying machines – falcons!

Falcons are incredible animals with focused flying skills that are quicker than the human eye. The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in France has recruited falcons that are trained to take down the drones in midair without injuring themselves. Once a drone hovers over the private property or resort areas that are supposed to be off-limits to everyone but VIP guests and staff the game is on, and drones are no match for falcons with their impressive predator skills.

Recently an onsite wedding for Colby Jordan and Alberto (Tico) Mugrabi called for the use of not 1 but 13 falcons, and they protected famous guests that included Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen, Karlie Kloss, and Owen Wilson. This new method to stop prying eyes is an ingenious one. Though there is certainly a cost factor involved, hotels with high-paying and high-profile clientele may find it worth the investment. It’ll be interesting to see if this catches on with other hotels and resorts.