Our beautiful country is made up of diverse people from across the globe, whose various cultures and traditions can be celebrated and shared throughout the year. One such cultural celebration is the Crow Fair, which takes place each year during the third week of August. This year marks the 102nd annual celebration of this event, which is held in Crow Agency, Montana and includes parades, pageants, a four-day powwow and more. This celebration is the largest Native American event in Montana, and one of the biggest powwows in the country.

The Crow Tribe of Montana, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (also spelled Absaroka), are a federally recognized Native American tribe. Their land is located in the south-central part of Montana, though historically the early home of their ancestral tribe was near Lake Erie in what is now Ohio. The name Apsáalooke was given to them by a neighboring tribe and roughly translates to "children of the large-beaked bird.” When French settlers arrived, they translated the name as “gens du corbeaux,” or people of the crows, and they became known in English as the Crow.

Jinx

Your Akron Zoo is home to a very special “large-beaked bird,” Jinx! Though Jinx is not a member of the Crow Tribe, he belongs to the species that is their namesake: the crow! After learning more about his species, we are not surprised that the Crow people chose to keep this English interpretation of their name.

It may be unusual to learn that the Akron Zoo is home to a crow, since these “backyard birds” are so common. However, being common in today’s environment says a lot about a species’ intelligence and ability to adapt. Crows live in family groups of a mom, a dad, and multiple generations of offspring. When parents are off finding food for their youngest chicks, the older brothers and sisters stick around to protect the nest from predators, such as hawks. These birds are even smart enough to care for their young when they fall out of the nest, so if you ever see a baby crow on the ground, it is okay to let them be; their family is still looking out for them!

Unfortunately, not everyone knows how nurturing crow families are, and many grounded fledglings are taken to wildlife rehabilitation centers each year, including Jinx. Jinx was brought to a center roughly 15 years ago after falling out of his nest as a fledgling. The center cared for him until he was able to fly, than attempted to release him back into his native habitat. Unfortunately, during his time at the center, Jinx imprinted on humans, and he simply refused to fly away. It was determined at that time that the best place for Jinx was the Akron Zoo!

Today, Jinx is one of our animal ambassadors. Since he is so comfortable around humans, he participates in programs that allow guests like you to see nature nose-to-nose and make a personal connection with conservation! Jinx has the intelligence, memory, communication and problem-solving skills of a 3-4 year old child, so he has learned many behaviors including collecting donations during our animal show and teaching visitors to recycle! This makes him a favorite participant in our off-site programs and our Wild World Animal Show!

You can meet Jinx on grounds throughout the year when our education team offers animal encounters! Or, if you would like a personal encounter with Jinx, you can meet him via Zoom when our Virtual Animal Experiences return!

Thank you again for your continued support of the Akron Zoo. We hope to see you again soon!