Meridian Removes Hawk from Store in Time for Christmas

PARTNER

Global Retail Chain

• On December 23, the Jackson, MS, location of this big box retailer submitted an emergency order to Meridian. A hawk had flown into the store and was scaring holiday shoppers.

---

OBJECTIVE

Quickly re-route and save the store’s Christmas.

• Technician Dillon D. was minutes away from a non-emergency work order when he was called to Jackson—six hours away!
• A Cooper’s hawk had flown into the store amidst the holiday crowd, flying erratically and alarming customers.
• The store would be closed for Christmas. It was imperative Meridian remove the bird before then or it would trip the alarm.

---

SOLUTION

The Meridian Technician used his background in raptor
biology to capture the bird.

• Dillon arrived at 6:30 p.m. After one capture attempt, he stopped to observe the hawk’s flight path.
• The juvenile bird seemed to fly in a pattern around the store. Dillon pinpointed a small six-foot area where he could capture the hawk.
• Patience and humble confidence led Meridian to set up a net in the hawk’s flight path. The young bird flew right into the capture system.

---

RESULTS

Technician Dillon went Above the Bar, capturing the hawk
and releasing it in time for the Christmas holiday.

• Meridian worked with on-site law enforcement in an effort to contact wildlife officials.
• The Cooper’s hawk was safely released outside, allowing the store to shut down for the Christmas holiday.