NHS Tayside has deployed the services of a bird of prey at Ninewells Hospital.
The bird was pictured tethered to a stand on the Dundee site. NHS Tayside has confirmed it is being used “exclusively as a deterrent”.
Questions were asked as to whether the bird was being used to deter seagulls, pigeons or both from the hospital site.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “From time to time we contract a specialist company to deter various bird species on our sites.
“An expert bird handler and bird of prey may be deployed, for example during the weeks of the year when birds are looking to nest.
“A bird of prey is flown over the area at various times, acting exclusively as a deterrent.
“It returns to its handler and is tethered only during its resting period.”
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