PARTNER
Global Retail Chain of Big Box Stores
- The Raynham, MA, location of this worldwide chain called in an emergency when a Cooper’s hawk chased three sparrows into the store. Employees managed to trap the birds in the vestibule.
OBJECTIVE
Capture and remove a dangerous bird of prey in a confined space.
- Isolating the birds kept customers safe and made capture simpler. However, the hawk was behaving unusually.
- The Bird Removal Technician (BRT) noticed it was motionless but alert on the floor—atypical behavior for hawks.
SOLUTION
The Bird Removal Technician (BRT) opted to capture the hawk by hand.
- The BRT’s years of experience with birds told him he could approach it from behind and take hold of it with raptor gloves.
- Careful to restrain the talons, the BRT took the hawk to a wildlife rehab center.
RESULTS
Meridian prevented a potential outbreak of disease.
- Because of the hawk’s erratic behavior, the wildlife rehab center ran tests and found the bird was infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
- EEE is a bloodborne disease that can infect humans—last year the Raynham region had at least one fatal case from an outbreak.
- The store had already sanitized the vestibule due to COVID-19 protocols. Together, Meridian and the partner made sure the bird of prey could no longer spread the disease it carried.
Total diagnosed cases of EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis) in humans since 2010.
107
“I never thought about the danger during the capture. I was nervous, but confident. Part of working as a BRT is you always have to expect the unexpected.”
– Steve P.
Bird Removal Technician
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