The Multipurpose Sea Cargo Complex Bronka has established an ornithology team in cooperation with the Finist Falcom Club to protect birds in the green zone surrounding the port. Specially trained falcons, hawks and kites guard seagulls and other birds off the port.
While birds are often used in large global hubs, for St. Petersburg marine terminals this is a new practice. The biorepellent method is based on the natural, genetic fear of birds of prey, which prevents birds and animals from frequenting objects and territories that are potentially dangerous for them, Miloslava Panfilova, Director of the Finist Falcom Club, explains.
According to Vladimir Khrabry, senior researcher with the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, it is the most humane method of keeping birds away from industrial sites.