Opposites attract: The kitten raised by a crow

A crow takes an abandoned kitten under its wing and proves that sometimes predator and prey can learn to get along.

By Laura Moss 

From  http://www.mnn.com/

 

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Moses and Cassie share a meal in the Collitos' backyard.

In 1999, a kitten appeared in the yard of an elderly Massachusetts couple, and it was so small that Wallace and Ann Collito at first thought it was a rat. The Collitos believed that someone had thrown the black-and-white kitten over the fence into their mobile home park and they worried about its welfare until they noticed the cat’s unlikely caretaker, an American crow.

 

The Collitos watched in amazement as the crow took the kitten — whom they’d named Cassie — under its wing and began feeding it worms and insects. They couldn’t believe their eyes as they watched the crow they’d dubbed Moses feeding Cassie, protecting her from other animals and cawing to keep her out of the street. They knew no one would believe the remarkable tale unless they had proof, so they began filming and photographing the playful kitten and its watchful winged guardian.

 

Eventually, the Collitos were able to coax Cassie indoors with cat food and she spent her evenings enjoying the luxuries of indoor cat life, but every morning at 6 a.m., Moses would peck at the screen door looking for his friend, and Wallace and Ann let Cassie out to play. The unlikely friends spent hours frolicking and wrestling outside, and the Collitos filmed the playful pair’s escapades for five years until one day Moses quit showing up. American crows live only seven to eight years in the wild, so it’s thought that Moses passed away.

 

Ann Colito died in 2006, but Cassie — who’s now 12 years old — still lives with Wallace in their Massachusetts home, and Cassie and Moses’ story will continue to touch lives and teach lessons about friendship for years to come, thanks to a new children’s book by Lisa Fleming. The 48-page book, “Cat and Crow: An Amazing Friendship,” shares the story of Cassie and Moses’ special bond and includes newspaper clippings and photographs of the two. It was released on Oct. 16, which is National Feral Cat Day.

 

Check out this amazing video of Cassie and Moses.

 

Could crows have caught Osama bin Laden?

From: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/could-crows-have-caught-osama-bin-laden

These smart birds may have been used in the hunt for the world's most famous terrorist.

Photo: LucinaM/Flickr

A full week after Osama bin Laden was killed, it might be time to give some credit to crows and ravens. Yes, you read that right. Crows and ravens.

For a few years, the University of Washington has been training and studying crows and ravens to test their ability to recognize human faces. As it turns out, the birds are really good at it. A few experiments by professor John Marzluff and some folks on campus wearing caveman masks revealed that the birds could not only recognize the individual “cavemen,” but would also swarm them on the University of Washington campus.

This drew the attention of the military, which contacted Marzluff and then gave him some funding to find out if the birds could be used to track down bin Laden. “[Crows and ravens] have a long -term memory, very acute discrimination abilities, and if a group of crows knew bin Laden as an enemy, they would certainly indicate his presence when they next saw him,” said Marzluff in a recent interview.

As it turns out, crows are smart on several levels. Researchers in New Zealand discovered that the birds can use tools to get food, and that the birds can teach their children to use tools through “home schooling.”

We will never know if birds had anything to do with bin Laden’s death. Those details, like the pictures of bin Laden and the identity of the Navy Seals who killed him, are unlikely to become public. So next time you see a black bird, consider that it might be more heroic than you think. And if you have a guilty conscience, you might want to hide your face. After all, you wouldn’t want the bird to tip off the authorities.

Also on MNN: Titanium fangs? The technology behind the dog that helped capture bin Laden

Crow Meat Comes Back -- Boosts Sexual Potency?

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June 9, 2009—In Lithuania, eating crow isn't an exercise in public humiliation, as the English idiom suggests. Here, crow is literally eaten, and says one connoisseur, "it increases sexual potency."

© 2009 National Geographic (AP)

Unedited Transcript

Despite their intelligence and function as scavengers, crows are rarely popular birds.

The large black birds with a noisy squawk have traditionally held the role of evil-doer or thief in fable and fairy-tales.

In Lithuania, crow has been part of a traditional diet throughout the centuriesmostly eaten during times of hardship.

The meal of crow remained widespread in Lithuania into the 20th Century but almost died out during Soviet occupation. Now it is making a comeback.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Andrius Gudzinskas, Hunter: "We are hunting young crows because we need them for our feast, which is a century-old tradition. I support this tradition and will keep doing it (shooting crows). The birds are not bad - they do good but they also do harm. Their number can only be regulated by hunting."

Hunts for the black colored birds, which has several species nearly world-wide, last several days, and involve driving hundreds of kilometers in search of crow flocks.

Back home, the birds are plucked and then the crow meat is prepared in cooking oil at a high temperature and served with vegetables.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Vanda Mikalauskiene, Cook: "We boil it for about an hour because it's game meat and it's tough. Usually a chicken is boiled for 15-20 minutes but this is a wild bird."

The hunters claim the younger birds are better. Here they are considered delicacies, said by some to taste like quail.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Dalia Keriene, Kalnaberze Resident: "This is a great dish, crow meat is very tasty and good for men because it increases sexual potency. Try it and you'll see."

With its reputation as a scavenger, which includes dining from piles of garbage, some fear disease from eating crow. But a local medic explains that after being cooked at the right temperature the crow meat is absolutely safe to eat.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Kristina Mikolaitiene, Medic: "Crows are cooked in boiling oil with a temperature of 190 degrees Celsius so that all bacteria die and there is no danger for health."

In the village of Kalnaberze, residents gathered for a recent feast to devour the crow meat.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Jorune Liutkiene, Kalnaberze Resident: "I've been taking part in this feast for three years. I like it. When tried it for the first time I was a little bit scared but then I understood that it's tasty."

While eating crow is an English idiom that might refer to admission of a humiliating mistake, in Lithuania, it could be part of a re-emerging tradition.