Sheriff office’s ‘Hawk Whisperer’ rescues bird from garage
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (January 24, 2024) – Captain Travis Stocker earned a new nickname from his peers in the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday: “the Hawk Whisperer.” Stocker rescued a hawk that got stuck in a garage in New Philadelphia.
He says Sheriff Orvis Campbell asked for help with the hawk, which had stayed in the garage without anything to eat since last Friday.
“I said, ‘OK. I’m up for a challenge,’” Stocker said.
The hawk jumped around for a while before Stocker got a hold of it.
“Whenever we grabbed it, it kind of squirmed a little bit, but then once I had it in my hands it really calmed down and was nice and calm, and we were able to release it into the wild.”
Stocker says he has dealt with injured animals before, but not in any way that would make him a wildlife expert.
“By no means. I hope they stay out of garages and up in the air where they belong. But I was happy to be able to rescue this one and have it not be harmed in any way.”