GRANTS PASS, Ore. —A Grants Pass elementary school has a new mascot. Well, not exactly, but one animal is making itself known on campus, and auditioning as the new class pet.
Right after Thanksgiving, students from Allen Dale Elementary School were met with a visitor, a crow. It wanted to be part of the class, it was walking along this ledge, even pecking on the window. Eventually, it made its way into one of the classrooms and was clearly peckish.
“It came in helped itself to some breakfast, some muffins, some leftover stuff that they had from their breakfast that morning. And it was pandemonium, kids screaming what else would you do if a bird comes in your classroom,” said Teachers Aid, Naomi Imel.
Right, when the staff thought they saw it all, “it talked and it said I’m fine and then everyone was like that didn’t just happen,” said Imel.
Imel said it even had a potty mouth. The crow couldn’t get enough of its new surroundings, walking around like it belonged. Even after successfully getting the crow outside. It still didn’t leave. Instead, it joined the students for recess. The students even named her Lucy.
“The thing was landing on people, it was chasing and it was swooping and you know there are other crows in the sky the kids were asking if they were going to come too like I don’t know it might be calling its friends we don’t know what’s going on,” said Imel.
The principal called animal control to come, but it handed the reins to a wildlife officer from Oregon State Police. After an unsuccessful attempt, the agency decided not to capture it.
“The owner knew a student that goes here and he went home and he told his parents about it, and they said I think I know who that belongs to and contacted the owner,” Imal said.
The crow owner’s daughter came up to pick up Cosmo, Mo Mo for short. After enticing Cosmo with sardines, she was able to wrangle her in, to go home.
“It was rescued when it was young and lives outside where birds live and just knows the family and sticks close,” said Imel.
Imel says the kids haven’t stopped asking about their new friend, Lucy.
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