Vancouver man forms enduring friendship with injured crow

Sawatsky Sign-Off: Jake’s Animals Adam finds out how a walk in a park led to an enduring friendship between a man and a crow.

VANCOUVER, B.C. — When Jake Huang went for a walk in the park that day, he never expected to see a beaver.

“It was surprising,” Jake says pointing out the tall buildings surrounding the area. “Because it was in the middle of the city.”

So Jake started visiting the urban park almost daily to capture the beaver with his camera

“It was building its dam and eating,” Jake says of the photos and footage he got. “And chilling by itself.”

But Jake soon realized he was far from alone.

“It was kind of this revelation that there’s so much around us all the time,” Jake says.

The more time Jake spent observing in the park, the more creatures started appearing. Just steps away from the city, he focused his lens on birds feeding their babies, racoons washing their hands, and blue herons hunting for fish.

“It was meditative,” Jake says. “And it really showed me the importance of slowing down.”

But then, one distinctive looking crow changed everything. “I noticed him right away.”

Jake says the crow had a twisted foot and was limping. “I was kind of worried he was injured.”

Jake called an animal rescue group for help and was told that if the crow could still fly, it would be OK.

The more Jake took the time to observe the crow, the more he realized it was thriving.

“I saw other crows take care of him,” Jake says.

Jake named him Fabian and started documenting the crow regularly over the next three years.

“They are very intelligent, very social and compassionate animals,” Jake says.

He also recorded the enduring love between Fabian and his mate June, which led to the couple starting a family together.

“They groom each other,” Jake says. “You see them express affection with each other.”

And eventually Jake earned Fabian’s friendship. The crow would recognize Jake no matter what he was wearing and fly over to greet him – even after Jake had returned to the park after moving away for a few months.

“When I came back, [Fabian] came to say hi,” Jake says. “It was magical, like a Disney movie or something.”

Jake is now sharing his real-life movies about Fabian and all the other creatures he’s encountered in the city on social media.

He says the mini-documentaries are like a time capsules to honour our natural neighbours.

“By connecting with living things and having empathy, you see this whole social life, this universe that’s different than ours,” Jake smiles. “It’s unfolding right in front of us and it’s amazing.”