Lucky Albino Crow

This article appeared in the Sunday Star on 15th July 2007.

Insurance man claims albino crow brings him luck

MALACCA: Black crows which are a common sight are often shunned as dirty and unlucky, but an albino crow has brought luck to its owner.

Insurance agent Winston Tan has kept a snow-white albino crow sporting a pink beak and red eyes in his house since three months ago.

He had chanced upon two adult crows trying to teach the albino chick how to fly.

“The chick dropped to the ground and I brought it back,” he said, adding that he fed the bird with earthworms, crickets and sometimes even small lizards.

Tan recalled that he was even “attacked” by the two black birds when he went to pick up the albino chick.

Today, the albino bird has learnt to fly by itself.

“Occasionally, I will let the bird out of the cage to fly freely in the room,” said Tan.

Tan said that on one occasion, he had forgotten to close the window and the bird flew away.

“To my surprise, it flew back into the room,” he said.

Tan did not mind the bird’s return.

He said that the bird had been a lucky charm ever since it joined the “household”.

“I have won a small amount of money through lottery since I reared this bird,” said Tan.