Crow recovering after alleged beating
VANCOUVER — The east Vancouver crow that is celebrated for his gregarious antics will remain in a bird hospital for at least another week after his caretaker says the bird was attacked.
Shawn Bergman said Tuesday that Canuck the crow must remain under care for treatment of head and other injuries following an incident over the weekend in which the bird might have been hit with a stick while hopping along the sidelines of a local soccer game.
B.C. Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigator Eileen Drever said she began an investigation after receiving reports that the bird had been knocked unconscious. No one who witnessed the attack has come forward.
Bergman befriended Canuck more than a year ago, and the playful antics of the curious creature led to a Facebook page with thousands of followers and a dedicated social-media presence.
It was the bird’s theft of the possible weapon from a Vancouver crime scene that elevated Canuck’s status.
Canuck is known to patrol an area of east Vancouver and was watching in May 2016 as police investigated a stabbing, before swooping down and trying to fly off with a knife, dropping it only after officers gave chase.
The bird was hopping around, drinking and eating a little on Monday, but Bergman said it would be several days before Canuck could fly free.
“They want to make sure he’s 100 per cent and ready to go back outside. They just want to make sure that he’s as healthy as he can be.”
Canuck spends a lot of time with humans, but is not a pet and must feed and fend for himself, avoiding predators and competing with other crows.
Meanwhile, Bergman said other crows are moving in to Canuck’s territory.
“They’re all taking advantage of the lack of his presence in the neighbourhood, right now,” he said.