HE has lived through the office of three prime ministers and was around when the Berlin Wall fell - now Jacko the crow is celebrating his 22nd birthday.

HE has lived through the office of three prime ministers and was around when the Berlin Wall fell - now Jacko the crow is celebrating his 22nd birthday.

The resilient bird was taken in by Jack and Elsie Goodwin in 1987 - a year after the couple set up an animal rescue sanctuary at their Glamorgan Road home in Ipswich.

The sanctuary, On the Wing, provided care for sick and abandoned birds and other animals for ten years until ill health forced the Goodwins to end their compassionate activities.

But they couldn't get rid of Jacko, who became a mascot for the sanctuary when he arrived there and has been hanging around ever since.

Mr Goodwin, 75, said: “Jacko was six-weeks-old when we took him in. He had a broken wing, a broken leg and his tail had been completely ripped out.

“We put him in splints and hand fed him until he was better.

“He lost a toe a couple of months ago and we still have to clip his wings occasionally because without a tail he can't balance.”

Mrs Goodwin, 70, said On the Wing began when she and her husband realised there was a shortage of animal rescue facilities in Ipswich.

She said: “I asked Jack what happened to all the birds that get injured. He thought about it and realised the town needed somewhere for them to be looked after.

“We wanted to run it as a charity and within a couple of days of contacting the council we had permission to start it up.

“Jack used to go out and help people get there lost birds back. We used to take in geese and chicks, and vets even used to send wild birds round.”

Jacko is getting a little frail in his old age but he still has a strong appetite for meaty treats and a tendency to cause mischief.

Mr Goodwin said: “He's a real character.

“If I were to change anything about his surroundings he would turn his nose up!”

Can your pet beat Jacko's longevity? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Jacko may be knocking on a bit in crow years but he's still got some way to go to outlive this lot.

World's oldest animals:

A crow named Tata was believed to be the oldest in the world until he died, aged 59, at his home in Bearsville, New York, in 2006.

Bella the Black Labrador was thought to be the oldest dog in the UK, at 29, until her death in September last year.

Bueno the black spider monkey, who died at the Japan Monkey Centre in 2005 at the age of 53, was thought to be the world's oldest monkey.

Spike the ginger and white tom cat died two months after his 31st birthday in July 2001 - making him the world's oldest feline.

Tish the goldfish lived to 43 after being won at a funfair in Doncaster in 1956.