There's nothing like a meal of fish heads to help a crow celebrate coming home.
This morning, Canuck the Crow was treated to prawns and fish heads after being released from a 10-day stint at the Night Owl Bird Hospital.
"As you can see, somebody's about ready to reclaim his kingdom," Canuck's best human friend Shawn Bergman posted on Facebook live on April 4.
In the video, Bergman opens the travel cage door and Canuck gingerly steps out and gains his bearings. "There you go, buddy," Bergman is heard saying as Canuck wanders around the back porch of Bergman's home, "welcome home....
"It's good to have you back."
Also in the welcoming party was Canuck's girlfriend, Cassiar the crow, who had appeared visibly distraught when Canuck was taken to hospital after being deliberately hit on the head with a linesman's pole at an Adanac Park soccer game on March 25.
"It's good to see you back together," Bergman says in a second video of the two crows enjoying lunch together.
In the days since the attack, the Canuck and I Facebook page has grown to 45,000 followers, many of whom expressed joy at Canuck's homecoming.
"I''m soooooo happy for you, Canuck & Cassiar!! Welcome home Canuck! Thank you Shawn for keeping us updated during this time, you must be overjoyed! Smiles all around!! ," wrote one supporter.
Although Night Owl provided care to the battered bird for free, Canuck's supporters raised a total of $6,100 in two sanctioned crowdfunding campaigns. The monies will be donated to the bird hopsital in support of its efforts to care for wild birds in emergency situations.
The Italian Canadian Sports Federation, which hosted the game where the volunteer linesman took a swing at Canuck's head with a pole, immediately launched an investigation into the attack. The information it gleaned has been passed on to the B.C. SPCA, which has launched its own investigation.
"The ICSF is deeply saddened by the events that transpired on Saturday morning and wish Canuck the Crow a full and speedy recovery," the organization says on its website." ICSF would also like to extend our sincerest apologies to any children or adults who witnessed the incident on Saturday morning; we recognize that for many it was a very traumatic experience. ICSF’s Annual Spring Tournament is a safe and supportive environment to celebrate youth soccer in Vancouver. Regrettably, the events on Saturday morning involving Canuck the Crow has overshadowed this and our tournament."
