Robot disguised as a coyote or fox will scare wildlife away from runways at Alaska airport

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A headless robot about the size of a labrador retriever will be camouflaged as a coyote or fox to ward off migratory birds and other wildlife at Alaska’s second largest airport. The Alaska Department of Transportation has named the new robot Aurora and says it will be based at the Fairbanks airport to “enhance and augment safety and operations.” The Anchorage Daily News reports the robot will be tested this fall during the migratory bird season when Aurora imitates predator-like movements to keep birds and other wildlife from settling near plane infields. The test will also see how it effective it might be against larger predators, and to see how moose or bears would react to it.