After Being Released, Crow Visits The Family Every Day
Jo and her husband have always had so much respect for animals and birds. They admire their wild and unique ways, and they are always happy to see any wildlife in their neighborhood. One day, the family heard chirping coming from the park near their house. After looking closely, they noticed a tiny crow chick on the ground. It apparently had fallen from the nest. They wanted to put him back, but they could not find any nests up there. So they decided to take him home instead. Jo named the crow Pepe and tried to make sure he got everything he needed during his stay in the house before they released him.
Jo and her husband knew that no human house could replace the natural environment and the biological family of a wild bird. So they tried their best to bring him back to his family. They recorded Pepe’s chirpings and cries and put the recording on different spots in the nearby park and the woods. They hoped that the chirps would gain the attention of his family or at least some other crows. But nothing happened. At the end of the day, Pepe seemed to stay with Jo’s family until he was a bit older and more independent.
Jo tells that they saw every small progress that Pepe made while growing up. They saw him learn to take his first baby steps and saw him try to fly for the first time. Jo always kept Pepe outside. She did not want to domesticate a wild bird. And that gave him a great privilege when learning to fly, as he had a big open area. Pepe’s first big achievement was learning to fly from the roof of the house to Jo, who waited for him right next to the house. At that time, it was quite a long distance for Pepe.
But time goes by too fast, and Jo’s family did not even realize, how Pepe became a totally independent crow. One day they just woke up to see that Pepe was not in his usual spot. They spent some time looking for him. Then, they found him resting on the nearby trees. It was then that they realized that they could no longer keep Pepe with them. Instead, they gave him the freedom to choose where he wanted to live. Pepe was so curious to observe all the new places in the woods. Jo and her family thought that they would never get to see Pepe again, as he decided to live in the wild.
But little did they know that Pepe got a stronger bond with them that they thought, and had definitely no intentions to forget them. Pepe adopted a new habit of visiting the family at least once or twice each day. Sometimes he comes to ask for some food. Otherwise, he just likes to come to say hi to his favorite people and to stay with them for a bit longer. Jo’s house seems to be his favorite place.
It is funny how Pepe even started to bond with Jo’s dog, Xena, only after starting to live in the wild. Whenever Pepe visited the family, he went straight toward his new best friends to just hang out with them. The first time that Jo saw Pepe sitting next to Xena, she got surprised. But then, the two became so close that Jo needs to separate them sometimes.
The thing is that the playing styles of the two are way too different. Pepe might be playing by kicking and stabbing Xena with his beak. Xena, of course, did not appreciate it. But she was a very patient big sister. For being such a good friend, Xena received extra treats and praise from Jo.
The true fun of Pepe and Xena being together started when they went for a walk. The fact that a crow is going for a walk like a regular dog is already funny. The dog is on the beach, and the crow is just walking beside her and trying to catch up. Jo says that Pepe has a fear of missing out. That is why he always needs to be where Xena is and needs to know what is going on. Xena likes to stop by every tree whenever she smells something unusual, which happens quite often. Pepe on the other hand, does not smell anything that a dog does. But he still wants to know what Xena is looking at. So he walks around Xena, desperately trying to figure that out.
Another thing that Pepe loves to do is hide a random little object in the most unpredictable spots. It might be Jo’s shoes, even when she is wearing them. Or it might be Jo’s ear, which is a bit more scary. Another habit that Pepe has is sunbathing. The way she lies under the sun is totally ridiculous. Someone who does not know that birds do that might think that something is wrong with Pepe. He spreads his wings to the sides, and simultaneously through his head back, as if it is not attached to the body.
This scared Jo at first. But when she talked to experts, she realized this was very common for birds. They do this to keep their feathers healthy, and to kill parasites. The reason why so many people do not see birds doing this is that they prefer doing it on their own. The fact that Pepe does it in Jo’s house makes it clear that he totally feels at home there.
Sometimes, when Pepe comes to visit Jo and her family, his crow friends come and rest on the nearby electricity wires. They observe Pepe and Jo so carefully. Jo laughs every time she sees them. She is trying to guess on what is going on inside their brains. Probably they are seeing the relationship between a crow and a human as something way too paranormal and mind-blowing. Jo likes to think that Pepe’s friends are inviting their own friends to witness what is going on in their house, and telling them “See, I told you, you did not believe”.
As Jo had the chance to interact with a wild crow, she realized just how smart they are. Pepe can recognize his name, and fly to Jo when she is calling him. But what is more important, Pepe knows just well how to protect himself. Even though he has such a good relationship with Jo’s family, he never came close to any other people. He was too cautious. If Jo’s family was having guests, Pepe immediately left the house to be safe.
Jo and her family consider themselves so happy to have Pepe in their lives. The more time they spend with Pepe the more they learn from him about crows and about wild birds and animals in general. And the more they learn, the more they respect and admire those creatures. The family wants to show everyone how nice it is to bond with a bird while keeping it wild. Their aim is to discourage the domestication of wild animals, and keep them the way they should be.
