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Bird migration seasons elevate the risk of spreading disease like avian influenza. Farmers are trying lasers as one method to reduce the risk.
When the human eye examines one of Craig Duhr’s lasers at a Wisconsin farm, only a green dot is visible. But to birds, a variety of green beams and shifting patterns appear.
“They see it as a threat, like a stick coming at them or a predator moving in,” Duhr said. “As they see that, they just want to avoid the area altogether.”
Duhr works for a company called Bird Control Group, which sells lasers to deter wild birds and limit the spread of avian influenza among livestock. Duhr recently appeared on WPR’s “The Morning Show” to discuss the technology amid Wisconsin’s spring bird migrations when the risk of spreading avian flu is higher.
Wisconsin’s agriculture department recommends farmers use biosecurity measures, such as lasers, to protect poultry flocks. State authorities also recently urged caution for farmers after confirmed cases of avian flu in Kansas, Texas, Michigan and Idaho dairy herds.
New scarecrows: Lasers aim to deter wild birds and reduce disease on Wisconsin farms
Wisconsin’s agriculture department recommends farmers use biosecurity measures, such as lasers, to protect poultry flocks from avian influenza.
www.wpr.org
