Electric Eagle Project reduces transmission line faults caused by eagles

摘要

A joint project between Eskom, the University of Cape Town and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has successfully reduced line faults caused by eagles breeding on ten transmission lines in the Karoo regions of the Western and Northern Cape by at least 70%. What makes this more remarkable is that it was achieved without harming the important breeding population of eagles on these lines. Eskom field staff had long suspected that some of the faults on transmission lines in the Karoo could be related to the presence of large eagles on the transmission towers. Martial Eagles (Polemaetus bellicosus), Tawny Eagles (Aquila rapax) and Verreauxs' (Black) Eagles (Aquila verreauxii) regularly place their nests on top of transmission towers. It was suspected that the faults could be caused by long streamers of excrement, deposited by the eagles when perched at roosts or on the edge of active nests, or by the nesting material itself. According to Hein Vosloo, Eskom Servitude Specialist, approximately 40% of all line faults on transmission lines are caused by bird streamers.