You may have seen an image of a crow holding a knife in its beak floating somewhere on the internet. Maybe you saw it on Instagram, or on a meme page; but no matter where you first spotted it, it’s certainly one of Vancouver’s most iconic moments captured forever on the great wide web.
Pictured there is Canuck the Crow, Vancouver’s most notorious knife-thief and SkyTrain regular.
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Canuck the Crow
Canuck’s story begins all the way back in 2015, when he first hatched. He was pushed from his nest as a hatchling, but was raised by a Vancouver boy who attached a red zip-tie to his leg before setting him free in the same year.
From then, his antics began all across Vancouver.
He first gained virality for landing on a cyclist and inspecting his backpack, which was then followed by him landing on a spectator’s shoulders at Empire Field. He tried to take the spectator’s personal items, and then drank some Tim Horton’s coffee.
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Following that, Global News producer Nick Logan filmed Canuck taking the SkyTrain, just like every Vancouverite has done in their life. He got on the Millennium Line at Commercial-Broadway Station and then got off in East Vancouver. Reportedly, he had done this two times already.
The Knife Incident
And then— it happened. Officers had been investigating a situation involving a burning vehicle when a man suddenly came at them with a knife. The man was subsequently shot and brought to the hospital, but the knife was still left at the scene. Canuck saw his chance and swooped into the crime scene, grabbing the knife. Ultimately, Canuck left the knife behind before flying off.
Contrary to popular belief, the legendary picture of Canuck holding a knife isn’t from the crime scene. According to the Facebook page Canuck and I (which is led by Shawn Bergman, Canuck’s good friend and operator of his social media accounts), this is actually a completely separate image. This picture was taken when Canuck flew back to the yard, holding what appears to be a steak knife. The crime scene’s knife was more akin to a box cutter.
Later on, Canuck’s fame would continue as he became Vancouver’s unofficial ambassador in 2018. He would have two broods (one of which survived), and a chick named after the Canadian singer-songwriter Gord Downie.
As of August 2019, no one knows where Canuck is. Bergman offered a $10,000 reward for the safe return of the infamous crow, but unfortunately Canuck was never found. The chances of him still being alive are slim, and it is unlikely that he is around to this day.
Still, Canuck lives on in the memories of not only Vancouverites, but people all around the world. So next time you see a picture of a crow with a knife, just remember that that’s a piece of Vancouver history right there.
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