People are worried that Amazon's drone tests are going to severely disrupt rare owls

Sam Shead

Aug 8, 2016, 18:22 IST

A Philippine Eagle Owl (Bubo Philippensis) is seen inside the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City, Metro Manila November 6, 2009. The center, which serves as a repository and rehabilitation facility for confiscated, donated or abandoned wildlife with the objective to release endemic and indigenous animals back to their habitat, also serves as a venue for public education and both a training and research facility for future veterinarians and biologists.

An owl.

A group of campaigners is concerned that Amazon drone tests will severely unsettle owls and other rare birds in the UK.

Amazon is quietly testing its 25kg delivery drones, which can fly at speeds of up to 50mph, at a historical site in the Cambridgeshire countryside, according to multiple reports.

The company's unmanned aerial vehicles are being flown over a 2,000-year-old road just outside Balsham, east of Cambridge, the BBC reported last week. The site - known as the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke trail - runs through an area that's home to a number of rare birds, according to The Mirror, including long-eared owls, turtle doves, buzzards, and hawks.

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Julia Napier, secretary of the Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke group, told The Mirror: "We are absolutely horrified at the idea. There are dozens of protected species of flora and fauna and birds that will be severely affected by the noise and disturbance of drones."

Despite numerous drone sightings from land users and the Cambridge Aero Club, Amazon is refusing to confirm the exact location of its drone tests, which have been approved by the UK government. The company told the BBC that the testing site's location could not be disclosed for "commercial" reasons, adding that safety was a "top priority."

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.