Robot dog disguised as coyote lands job scaring birds away from runway

Aurora, with handler Ryan Marlow, will be camouflaged as a coyote or fox to ward off migratory birds and other wildlife at Fairbanks airport (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

A headless robot about the size of a labrador dog will be camouflaged as a coyote or fox to ward off migratory birds and other wildlife at Alaska’s second largest airport, a state agency has said.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has named the new robot Aurora and said it will be based at the Fairbanks airport to “enhance and augment safety and operations”, the Anchorage Daily News reported.