DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

4 June 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Schiphol airport experiments with lasers to keep geese at bay

November 20, 2014

Snow Geese in FlightOfficials at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport are considering using lasers to drive away geese from the runways, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday.

Seven in 10,000 aircraft landing or taking off from Schiphol hit a bird and this can pose a danger to the flight, the paper says.

Experiments with using green laser beams have worked out well, leading the airport authority to consider permanently implementing the system.

However, first the impact of the lasers on pilot safety needs to be assessed, the paper states. Pilots can become temporarily blinded by the lasers, leading to what the paper describes as ‘dangerous situations’.

Green lasers are already on sale in the US as a humane form of geese control and are used by park rangers to keep the birds at bay. The bright green light on their feathers is said to startle the birds into flying off.

Noord-Holland province currently sanctions the mass gassing of geese in an effort to keep the runways and surrounding area clear.

Pest control companies rounded up and gassed almost 7,000 geese in a 20 kilometre radius of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport this spring, the NRC said in September.

Nevertheless, bird migration experts say gassing the geese is not a long-term solution. ‘Within two years population levels will be restored,’ researcher Julia Stahl told the NRC.

The lack of competition for food and good nesting places will encourage birds from elsewhere in the Netherlands to move to the area around Schiphol, she said. Researchers say changing crops and farming methods offer a better solution.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Society
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Schoof: collapse of cabinet was "irresponsible and unnecessary"
Wilders promised the "harshest asylum policy", then sabotaged it
Cricket: Dutch summer fixtures and a new call-up to the squad
Dutch to adopt Clare's Law to check partner's violent past
Rijksmuseum buys 200-year-old condom with erotic print
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now