Crow attacks tracked with new online map, hundreds documented so far
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.