MP man says crows clawing him with 'vengeance' since 3 yrs

A 35-year-old daily wager in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district holding a stick looks up at skies all the time while walking.

He is not praying to God but looking to save himself from crows who, he claims, leave no chance to attack him mercilessly with their sharp beaks and claws in "vengeance".

Shiv Kewat, a daily wage earner from Sumela village in Shivpuri district, says a flock of crows have been attacking him since last three years, at times leaving him bleeding.

"Now, I carry a stick whenever I venture out of home to ward off the crows who band together and swoop down on me. Sometimes I am not lucky," he said.

Kewat said the birds have been baying for his blood ever since he tried to rescue a baby crow stuck in an iron net three years ago.

"I tried my best to pull it out but it died," he said.

"Since that day, the crows probably presumed that I had killed a baby bird of their flock and have been after me and carrying out attacks on me," Kewat said.

Indore-based ornithologist Ajay Gadikar told PTI that birds have a very strong memory and many of their senses are sharper than human beings.

"That is why some of the species of birds fly and migrate thousands of miles and return home," he said.

"Crows remember the face of humans for sure, and they are also aggressive. Their sight and hearing senses are sharper than humans. The black birds have an average life span ranging between 15 and 20 years," he added.

Meanwhile, Kewat's employer Kala Khatik, a contractor, said he even organised a puja a year ago to ensure that his labourer does not get attacked by crows.

"After Kewat one day narrated his ordeal, I sought the divine intention to save him from the birds' attack, but in vain," he added.