By Gus Saltonstall
Leading New York City fowl teams have come out strongly in opposition to the fake-bird drone present that’s slated for Saturday evening in Central Park over security considerations amid migration season.
The efficiency, dubbed “Franchise Freedom” and created by the Dutch studio DRIFT, will characteristic 1,000 drones that fly over Central Park with actions that mimic 10 years of starling flight habits knowledge.
“This is a VERY BAD IDEA, light pollution during peak bird migration, which by the way is happening right now, poses a hazard for the millions of birds traveling over NYC on their migrations,” NYC Audubon, a nonprofit devoted to conserving birds and their habitats in New York City, wrote on X (formerly twitter) Friday morning. “COULD WE MOVE THIS to after fall migration.”
The reveals are at the moment slated for 3 10-minute home windows at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. inside the iconic Manhattan inexperienced area.
NYC Audubon wasn’t the one fowl organization to make a squawk on Friday morning concerning the drone present.
“It is mystifying that the makers of this bird-centric show and everyone involved in approving this do not seem to understand or care about bird migration and the importance of Central Park to migratory birds in fall,” Wild Bird Fund, the town’s solely wildlife rehabilitation and training middle, wrote in response to NYC’s Audubon’s submit.
DRIFT didn’t instantly reply to West Side Rag’s request for remark, however a Parks Department spokesperson advised Patch, which was the first publication to report the pushback in opposition to the drone present, that the present’s organizers have “been in close contact” with Parks.
Upper West Side Councilmember Gale Brewer additionally joined the calls to cancel the drone present.
“I agree with NYC Audubon that drones in Central Park on Saturday night should be canceled; it is peak migration seasons and birds could be killed,” Brewer wrote in a comment on NYC Audubon’s submit. “I have conveyed my opposition to the Parks Department and the Mayor’s Office. I am not opposed to drones. But not in Central Park at the height of bird migration.”
NYC Audubon beforehand estimated that near 250,000 birds are killed every year resulting from mild air pollution attracting and disorienting birds as they migrate within the night.
“Everything about this is puzzling and infuriating,” NYC Audubon wrote.
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