Crow visits Portsmouth vet who helped him fly again

A vet who helped a crow fly again says he feels he “truly made a difference” as the bird keeps visiting him.

Dr Justyn Loveridge, who owns the Vets for Pets practice in Portsmouth, treated the bird for a fractured wing after it was found by a member of the public.

It recovered within two weeks and Dr Loveridge and his fiancee released it from its crate in the garden.

But it has kept returning to see the couple, who have named it Morrigan after the Irish goddess of war in Irish mythology.

Dr Loveridge assessed the wing could be repaired after an X-ray showed it had fractured a bone.

He checked with his partner if she would object to him bringing the crow home to care for it.

“I already knew she’d say yes, we both love animals,” he added.

“Crows are omnivores, so I bought a mix of everything: insect mix, peanuts, chopped tomatoes, and even blueberries, which were a firm favourite with Morrigan.”

In mythology, Morrigan is known for her strong character and presence and is often depicted as a crow, so they thought it was a fitting name.

Dr Loveridge said after two weeks, Morrigan had recovered and flew away.

But to their surprise, the bird keep returning, which he finds “incredibly rewarding”.

“There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that crows are just as clever as primates,” Dr Loveridge said.

“Knowing that an intelligent animal keeps coming back to visit makes me feel like I’ve truly made a difference.”

Dr Loveridge was inspired to become a vet by a grandmother who was also an animal lover and rehomed stray cats.