Official News page 6

REAL LIFE NEWS: ROBOBEAR V THE POACHERS

by Hazed

If you're an American poacher, beware the robot animals - they are coming to get you! Apparently, game wardens are deploying lifelike robot bears, deer and turkeys in their fight against poachers, according to a report in National Geographic magazine.

Now, I've immediately got visions of the robobeasts turning the tables and firing back at the poachers, turning the hunters into hunted, but that's not how it works. Shame! Instead, when a poacher shoots one of the droid animals, lurking lawmen jump up and arrest him. So the robobears act as a honeytrap, a bit like the bait cars that police departments use to catch people stealing vehicles.

These decoy animals are very sophisticated, with remote-controlled electric motors adding realistic animal movement, and eyes that reflect light at night. Genuine pelts are used on top of the moulded fibreglass bodies, to add to the fakery.

These animatronic animals are not cheap. A turkey-droid costs $500, while a grizzlybot goes up to $5,500. So don't think you could buy one for your garden.

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