Persistence and Experience Help Capture Large Egret in Supermarket

PARTNER

Growing regional chain of supermarkets

• This capture took place in the supermarket chain’s Jupiter, Florida, location, one of over 1200 stores across the Southeastern United States.

OBJECTIVE

Meridian needed to safely remove a large bird— an active, agitated cattle egret.

• Meridian’s Bird Removal Technician (BRT) was heading home from a successful bird capture in Miami when she received an emergency call 60 miles north.
• A cattle egret found its way into a supermarket and was creating chaos, frightening customers, and endangering inventory.
• Anastasia is a Level 3 BRT and has experience with larger, more aggressive birds.

SOLUTION

Commitment to capture and knowledge win the day.

• The BRT’s experience told her to use a double net to capture the large bird. She was also able to predict the egret’s behavior.
• Initially, the egret retreated to the rafters, seemingly out of reach. The BRT adapted her technique to lure the bird into the capture system.

RESULTS

The successful removal also created a positive experience for customers, who witnessed a humane capture.

• Customers gathered to watch Anastasia work. According to the BRT, “they found the capture thrilling and had a lot of questions.” She answered their questions and reassured the store manager by turning a potential hazard into an adventure.

• The whole capture, including arrival, set-up, capture, and signout took less than two and a half hours.

Download Case Study PDF – Supermarket Egret