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

Norrington flies with 'Crow' franchise

Filmmaker to write, direct reinvention of series

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Norrington

“The Crow” will fly again.

Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct a reinvention of “The Crow,” based on the comic created by James O’Barr.

Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media is negotiating with producer Ed Pressman to acquire the film franchise and finance the film.

Pressman produced the 1994 Alex Proyas-directed screen transfer, in which rock musician Eric Draven is murdered trying to rescue his girlfriend from thugs, and returns from the dead one year later to exact vengeance. Though the original became a gothic-style hit that grossed nearly $100 million worldwide, it is primarily remembered for a tragic accident in which star Brandon Lee was killed during filming.

For Norrington, “The Crow” deal marks the end of a long screen sabbatical. After making his breakthrough with the Marvel Comics hero “Blade,” Norrington took on a big-budget comic transfer with “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” Neither the director nor his star, Sean Connery, has made a film since.

Norrington said he felt demoralized by that experience, and the accomplished sculptor spent the next five years writing and working on his art. He made a deal to direct “Clash of the Titans” for Warner Bros., but left the project, he said, because he was “unable to excite Warner Bros. with my take, or influence the screenplay to any comfortable extent.” That pic goes into production early next year with Louis Leterrier at the helm.

Norrington resolved to focus on independent projects, and sparked to an approach on “The Crow” from Relativity production chief Tucker Tooley and Pressman. Norrington had a relationship with Pressman when they came close to making “Mutant Chronicles” several years ago. Both embraced Norrington’s vision of the antihero, which Norrington said will be different than the film Proyas made.

“Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style,” Norrington told Daily Variety.

Norrington is repped by Endeavor.