There are 135 species in the crow family, but there’s only one Walter! Walter is technically a raven, but since he was raised by humans, he thinks of himself more as a dog. He was just a few weeks old when he was discovered by a kind passerby on Australia’s Gold Coast. He had been rejected by his family and unceremoniously shoved from the nest to fend for himself. Luckily for the baby bird, he was brought to a veterinarian named Linnett Lee for help.
Once Linnett looked him over, she knew he could make it if someone stepped in to feed him every two hours until he was old enough to feed himself. With no other volunteers at work, she agreed to take on the task herself. She brought “scraggly crow,” as they called him, home with her.
Walter was malnourished and underweight, he couldn’t fly, and his feathers were all short and uneven. As the veterinarian started to care for the bird, they developed a bond. He also bonded with one of her dogs, spending lots of time hanging out and grooming each other in the backyard. Eventually, when he was big, strong, and old enough to live on his own, Linnett attempted to release him into the wild of her 1-acre backyard.
Walter had other plans!
“We tried to release him, and he didn’t want to go,” Linnett explained. “And now, he’s here every day.”
Walter now lives in her backyard, but he still pops into the house whenever they let him. He’s never far away – all Linnett has to do is walk outside and say his name and he will squawk loudly in response and come hopping over.
“We don’t keep them as pets, and technically, although Walter is around, he’s not a pet,” she said. “He’s just an annoying wild bird.”
How is he annoying? Linnett can count the ways!
For starters, Walter has taken it upon himself to become his family’s personal alarm clock. Every day around 6:45 a.m. he comes to their bedroom window and tap, tap, taps… until they wake up. He also steals any car keys that are left unattended for a minute or two, and instead of bringing them shiny objects as gifts, like other corvids do, he brings them bland hunks of rock and sticks.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if he brought me money?” Linnett pondered before realizing, “The only problem is, since he can’t fly, the only money that he could steal would be our money!”
“I feel like I’m the mama bird, and he’s essentially the adult child who doesn’t want to move out,” she joked.
What an adorable little “freeloader!” We’d love to have a raven for a friend, wouldn’t you? Minus the key-stealing, though!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
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