A woman in Rosthern, Sask., has taken in two crows who wouldn’t have survived without her.
Tammy Tyrrell has rehabilitated animals for many years, but Loki and Edgar are extra challenging to take care of. The crows are extremely intelligent and fun to be around, but Tyrrell said birds, part of the corvid family, shouldn’t live in an average household.
“They actually are a lot of work. They’re very intelligent, so you have to be challenging them all the time, plus you need to provide them with as much wildlife as you can,” Tyrrell said.
One-year-old Edgar was rehabbed with two other crows named Allan and Poe, who have since been released to the wild. He is visually impaired and was severely injured after being hit by a lawnmower.
“He does have some brain injury, but his quality of life is quite good. He’s hit all the parameters that we like, as in playing and grooming and things like that,” Tyrrell said.
Loki went to Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation in Saskatoon two years ago in very rough condition. They were thinking of euthanizing him, but Tyrrell decided to take him home so he wouldn’t be alone in his final moments.
“Loki never gave up. From that day on, he just kept trying really hard,” Tyrrell said.
Loki isn’t just a fighter, he’s extremely intelligent.
“He likes to draw, he likes to play puzzles and he mimics you,” Tyrell said.
He’s currently learning different colours and can grab the colour he’s told to point out. He also understands how trading works and sometimes tries to give Tyrrell a toy in exchange for something he wants from her.
The crows don’t just stay at home and have fun. They are educational ambassadors for Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation and go to different classrooms for a hands-on learning experience.
It takes special animals to be able to handle this kind of responsibility.
“They have to want to hang out and they really have to want to be an educational setting. They need to be comfortable enough around sort of lots of people, talking, hanging out, doing the things that they’re supposed to do,” Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation executive director Jan Shadick said.
Loki and Edgar are on a brief hiatus with schools being shut down, but hope to be part of more educational presentations in the fall.