Canuck the crow, a locally famous bird with its own Facebook fan page, has been accused of swooping in, picking up a knife and flying off.
This crafty Canadian crow was apparently intent on tampering with a crime scene in Vancouver.
Canuck, a locally famous bird with its own Facebook fan page, swooped toward a crime scene on Tuesday before picking up a knife and flying off.
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Police had responded to a car fire in a McDonald's parking lot when they were confronted by a man with a knife, CBC reported. Shots were fired and the man was arrested. He was later taken to hospital with non-life-theatening injuries.
That's when Canuck, who lives in the area, apparently decided it was time to check out the scene.
"When there's a commotion going on, if Canuck is in the area he will come to investigate," Shawn Bergman, who cares for Canuck, told InsideEdition.com. "The knife was just something that was involved in the commotion and was of interest to humans, therefore it's of interest to him."
Mike Howell, a local newspaper reporter, said he saw a crow arrive at the scene and pick up an object before flying off. The crow was chased 15 to 20 feet before it dropped the object, he said.
"In my 20-plus years reporting from crime scenes, I've never seen anything like that crow trying to take a knife," Howell, who works for the Vancouver Courier, told CBC.
Watched this crow pick up knife allegedly used by man shot by #VPD today. Cops chased him before dropped knife. pic.twitter.com/lkycixAC5b
— Mike Howell (@Howellings) May 25, 2016
But it didn't come as a surprise for Bergman.
"Canuck has developed into a prolific thief," he said. "He can usually steal something right out of your pocket or out of your hand before you even know it's gone. And contrary to popular belief, it's not just shiny objects that he goes for. If it is of interest to humans, typically he wants it."
While Bergman said he wasn't surprised that Canuck picked up the knife, he was baffled that he dropped it.
"That's surprising to me. Usually when he takes something, you don't get it back. Many people have learned this," he said, adding that Canuck has been known to pinch keys, cigarettes and pens.
"He loves pens," he said. "He even brought back a pill bottle with two joints in it one time."
Police confirmed that this time, the crow had picked up a knife.
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"The crow was persistent, but the knife was eventually gathered as evidence," Constable Brian Montague said.
Canuck, who wears a recognizable red tag around one of his legs, was cared for by Bergman after the bird fell from its nest.
Now, Canuck flies to Bergman's home each morning and follows him as he heads out for his morning coffee. When Bergman goes to work, Canuck follows him to the bus stop before flying off on his own for the day. But he always returns.
