Ford Hires a Raptor to Patrol Its Hermosillo Assembly Plant

The birds had become a recurring headache for plant managers, fouling freshly painted trucks and infiltrating sensitive equipment whenever doors opened. Previous attempts to deter the pests—including acoustic recordings of predators and plastic replicas—failed to produce results as the pigeons quickly learned the ruses were harmless. After an initial hawk named Chalino went missing during a flight, the company brought in El Charro in July 2025.

Since his arrival, the hawk has logged over 300 flights across the massive facility. Ford reports that bird-related activity in monitored zones has dropped by 80% since the avian security guard began his shifts. El Charro spends two to three hours daily patrolling the rafters and identifying nesting sites for staff to clear. With no retirement plan in sight, management expects his presence to remain a permanent fixture of the daily production cycle.