Photo by Lysandre Alter
I'm writing this note with deep sorrow and grief; our beloved crow Loki died in November while I was away at the NYSWRC Wildlife Conference. It was extremely sudden and the loss has been difficult for everyone involved with Ravensbeard.
Loki was born in Nova Scotia in 1998. He was taken as a fledgling and used in intelligence research for approximately 5 years. When his program ended, he was alone and became depressed. The symptoms of depression in intelligent birds can show themselves in many ways, unfortunately Loki took to feather plucking as a means of coping. He was then sent to the Bronx Zoo for a richer life.
The zoo kept him for the next 5 years but Loki was never able to be housed in a live exhibit and interact with people. He was not an attractive fellow and had a few imperfections... but his personality was always large!
The last year of his life was spent here at Ravensbeard viewing the Hudson River and recovering from a lifetime of challenges. Loki was our watchdog and overseer of all who came to Turkey Point. Every person and animal was greeted with his unique big voice. A smile fell on every face that met him when he opened his beak and spoke. Many of our nature camp kids knew him well and enjoyed his tricks and comedy.
Photo by Lysandre Alter
We will miss him greatly and he will be remembered as the wonderfully quirky comedian he so cleverly portrayed.
And as you give thanks to the many miracles in this holiday season, please take a moment to remember Loki and all the many personalities that nature has given us to share.
Thank you in advance for all your prayers,
Ellen
