[HN Gopher] Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes
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       Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes
        
       Author : mjgant
       Score  : 9 points
       Date   : 2023-10-11 14:25 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.bbc.co.uk)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.bbc.co.uk)
        
       | isoprophlex wrote:
       | Do these ultrasound devices actually work? I always thought that
       | was mostly snake oil, or that animals rapidly become
       | desensitized?
       | 
       | Cats keep pissing in/near my bike shed, i have a wifi camera
       | successfully wired up to a YOLOv8 object detector (to detect
       | cats) but never figured out how to actually repel them. I wanted
       | to go with an actuated water spray but it seemed ridiculously
       | over engineered. If i can just blast them with ultrasound that's
       | a lot easier to do...
        
       | toss1 wrote:
       | >>But ultrasonic animal deterrents are not without controversy.
       | 
       | >>The RSPCA has long-objected to them, stating: "Noise levels
       | produced by such ultrasonic devices are likely to be aversive to
       | some animals, potentially causing them discomfort, fear and/or
       | pain and predicting an individual's response is difficult."
       | 
       | >>Mr Milward said he "recognises the importance of living
       | harmoniously with wildlife" but just wanted a humane way of
       | protecting his two young children from the mess left by foxes and
       | badgers, while also preserving his garden.
       | 
       | Ummm, it seems that a small amount of discomfort, fear, and/or
       | pain, all of which is easily escaped by the animal is exactly the
       | point! It is called operant conditioning by negative
       | reinforcement related to a specific behavior.
       | 
       | What it the alternative, hooking up the device to a water cannot,
       | paintball gun or real gun; are those really better?
        
       | jsiepkes wrote:
       | > I have two young children and that poses further issues as this
       | type of wildlife bring nasty insects and diseases along with
       | them.
       | 
       | Since both badgers and foxes are night animals I guess his
       | children play at 01:00 during the night in his garden?
        
         | cjrp wrote:
         | It's more about what the badgers and foxes leave behind, I
         | suspect. We get a lot of foxes, and it is pretty gross cleaning
         | up after them.
        
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       (page generated 2023-10-11 16:01 UTC)