Trained Eagles Serve as Aerial Sentinels for Hotels and Restaurants in the Riviera Maya

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Hotels and restaurants in Cancun and the Riviera Maya are adopting an increasingly popular ecological tool against unwanted birds: trained raptors that scare away opportunistic species without harming them.

The presence of the birds of prey may come as a surprise to guests and diners, but it represents a biological control strategy designed to reduce the concentration of other bird species in certain areas. Unlike methods that rely on chemicals, traps, or other aggressive measures, this technique uses a natural predator to create a deterrent effect.

Elaman Recillas Muñoz, of the company Kanan Koot, said his team works to control birds and other animals through biological methods, an option that is gaining traction at tourist establishments looking for more environmentally friendly management practices.

Food waste left behind in hotels and restaurants can turn an area into an attractive feeding ground for various opportunistic species, he explained during an interview at the Maroma Beach club, part of Grupo Lomas. When birds find favorable conditions to feed, remain, and reproduce, their numbers can rise and disrupt the natural balance of the surroundings.

To prevent that, the company deploys trained raptors, including the Harris’s hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus). Their presence signals danger to other birds, prompting them to move on.

“It’s a deterrent method,” Recillas Muñoz said, stressing that the goal is not to attack or eliminate birds but to create conditions that encourage them to avoid key areas.

The trained bird effectively acts as a natural predator. The practice is not new — it has been used for years at airports to keep runways clear and reduce the risk of accidents caused by birds. Its success there has now opened the door for use in other settings, including hotels and resorts.

In Cancun and the Riviera Maya, where a rich ecosystem coexists with heavy tourist activity, the use of trained hawks provides a form of biological control that keeps opportunistic birds at a distance without harming them.

The method is selective and avoids the use of chemicals. Operating hours are tailored to each property’s schedule and the specific areas where deterrence is needed. Rather than eliminating birds, the goal is to change their behavior so they no longer see hotel and restaurant grounds as a permanent food source or nesting site.

In this way, trained raptors become natural sentinels that help manage populations of opportunistic birds while reducing the tourism industry’s impact on the surrounding environment.