Fans of Vancouver's famous crow, Canuck, have banded together to donate a $10,000 reward to help bring the bird home, after he went missing last week.
Shawn Bergman, who is widely known as the crow’s human best friend, first alerted fans of the crow’s alleged disappearance in an emotional post to the Canuck and I Facebook page during the weekend.
Canuck with his human best friend Shawn Bergman. Photo: Canuck and I Facebook
He told Canuck’s 126, 350 followers that the bird had not been seen in the East Vancouver area he frequents since Friday, Aug. 30.
At 3 p.m. today it will be five days since Canuck went missing.
Speaking with Vancouver Is Awesome on Wednesday morning, Bergman said he’d received a few tips on Canuck’s whereabouts, but nothing substantial.
With little to go off, he said generous fans of Canuck had offered to donate towards a reward to help bring the bird home.
“We just want to get him back, so we are trying everything that we can,” Bergman told V.I.A.
“[The money] has been put together by a number of donors who have requested to be anonymous.
“We had it up to $5, 000 but then one person contacted me and said they wanted to add $5, 000, so that was a very, very nice donation that they made. Apparently Canuck has helped that person quite a lot and they just want to help to bring him home.”
He said he was extremely grateful for all the support and messages from the community.
“It’s a very, very nice thing to have so much support,” Bergman said.
“It’s a little overwhelming as well. I know a lot of people love him. When you’re right on the front-lines of all this and you get the messages … you see how much he means to people.
“It’s a sad thing right now that everybody has to go through this with me.”
Bergman is concerned that someone may have taken Canuck.
“I’m having a really, really hard time believing that he’s just out there being a crow,” he said. “He tends to stick to the area, so I’m pretty worried about him right now.”
He asked that people keep “their eyes and ears open” for any crow noises that could be coming from inside homes.
“If there’s anything that people hear, it could be the tip that brings him home,” Bergman said.
Earlier this year, Canuck became the first crow to be banded in North America for non-endangered and non-research purposes. Canuck sports a uniquely numbered metal band, supplied by The Federal Bird Banding Office in Ottawa, along with his orange band that makes him visible to his fans.
Canuck is known perhaps equally for being “that crow that stole a knife from a crime scene back in 2016” and “that crow with a human friend they made a documentary about”.
His fame has grown substantially over the years, with the help of Bergman who has been documenting Canuck’s adventures through Facebook since 2015. The mischievous bird is so popular, he was also voted Vancouver’s Unofficial Ambassador last year.
https://www.facebook.com/thecrowandI/photos/a.870307666410222/2216147731826202/?type=3&theater
Bergman said he isn’t giving up hope.
“I don’t think I’ll ever give up hope," he said. "I don’t get the feeling that he’s permanently gone.
“I still feel he’s alive.”
Anyone who sees or has information on Canuck can contact Bergman via email: [email protected].
