VANCOUVER — People with ornithophobia have a new tool to fight their fear of birds — a map that tracks crow attacks.
Instructors at Langara College in Vancouver used open-source software to create the online map, which allows anyone with an Internet connection to pinpoint where they were attacked and add details, such as how aggressive the bird was.
Jim O'Leary teaches Geographic Information Systems at the college and says he and his colleague Rick Davidson wanted to show how the course content could be put to use.
O'Leary says he was inspired to start tracking crow attacks after witnessing several in downtown Vancouver last year and thinking that recording them could help better understand the problem.
The birds are particularly aggressive during the spring, when they are protecting their nests.
Hundreds of attacks have been documented on the map since it launched in April, including reports from Victoria and Antigonish, N.S.
O'Leary says he and his colleague didn't know how popular the map would become.
"I originally envisioned it as being the greater Vancouver area, but crow attacks seem to touch a nerve with people. It seems like many people have a crow story that they want to tell," he says. "I guess crows are aggressive everywhere."
Mapping the attacks helps establish where the most aggressive crows are and gives an idea of whether there are any patterns, O'Leary says.
![](https://media.darpanmagazine.com/library/uploads/news/content/crow-attack1#@</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"with all our technology skills, we shouldn't be run off the street by the crows. so this is our response," he says. "the first part of a solution is to find out what a problem is."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
so far, there have been dozens of attacks reported in downtown vancouver, and o'leary says he believes there are more crows in the area because of the concentration of garbage cans and tall trees.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
o'leary says he isn't sure whether governments would be interested in the information, but notes that it's all public and at least it gives people an idea of where the crows are located.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"at the very least, people can vent their frustrations and they can see where the concentrations are," he says.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
it has also taught o'leary that the birds are more aggressive than he ever imagined. he's heard reports of crows banding together to dive-bomb a passerby, and of birds targeting dogs and cats.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
the map has also sparked interest in langara's geographic information systems certificate program, which teaches students how to manage and use geographic data.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
o'leary says seven people signed up for his course within a week of the map gaining notoriety.</div>.jpg)
MORE National ARTICLES
Tourism Report Urges Transportation Links To Great Bear Rainforest
First Nations and tourism operators say better transportation links are needed for people to experience the Great Bear Rain Forest, described by the province as B.C.'s gift to the world.
Tourism Report Urges Transportation Links To Great Bear Rainforest
Pioneering HIV Researchers Among Recipients Of Canada Gairdner Awards
Each year, seven awards — which are nicknamed the "baby Nobels" because 83 Gairdner winners have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes — are handed out along with $100,000 cheques
Pioneering HIV Researchers Among Recipients Of Canada Gairdner Awards
Doctor Says Child Who's Too Stiff To Sit In Car Seat Needs To Be In Hospital
Dr. Jonathan James Gamble was responding to questions from the Crown about symptoms that 18-month-old Ezekiel Stephan suffered before he died in March 2012.
Doctor Says Child Who's Too Stiff To Sit In Car Seat Needs To Be In Hospital
Manitoba Election Campaign Sees Health Care And Environmental Promises Made
NDP Leader Greg Selinger says if he is re-elected premier on April 19, he'll bump up funding for research into Lake Winnipeg by half a million dollars.
Manitoba Election Campaign Sees Health Care And Environmental Promises Made
Sikh Candidate Prabhjeet Gill Elected Lawmaker In Calgary-Greenway Riding After Byelection
Gill is a real estate appraiser by profession
Sikh Candidate Prabhjeet Gill Elected Lawmaker In Calgary-Greenway Riding After Byelection
Surrey RCMP Out To Catch Distracted Drivers
Surrey RCMP’s Traffic Services, ICBC, and the Surrey Crime Prevention Society are participating in a distracted driving enforcement and education campaign.