05.06.2006

Dramatic Events and Rescue on Pentecost Saturday

On Pentecost Saturday, June 3rd, events tripped over each other at the eyrie of the Vetschau "Internet Storks". In the forenoon inadvertently a parent stork stepped on the head of Lenka, the elder chick, that it passed away several hours later. The parent storks left the dead chick in the nest hollow. In the afternoon, a parent stork brought a snake as fodder. Meto, the remaining chick, grabbed one end and tried to swallow it. The parent stork shook the snake and flung Meto to the edge of the eyrie while doing this. There he lay now unable to return to the nest hollow under his own "steam", and both parent storks displayed a typical, although baffling, behaviour: They paid no attention to the young stork whose strength ebbed visibly. Many Internet observes became frantic and were shocked and raised alarm with Winfried Boehmer, the NABU Project Leader. He wrote in the Internet Forum, "This is really a dramatic happening, it is feared, it will not come to a pleasant conclusion. We know from many observations that the storks divide the eyrie into two distinct areas. Only the events in the centre, the softly upholstered portion, receive their attention. Every other event, away from the eyrie's centre, is ignored.".

Because only this chick was still alive and no longer moved, the Project Leader decided to ask the Vetschau Fire Department for help. It arrived promptly: The captain, unbureaucratically, requested a ladder truck. The firemen Boemack, Schanze and Braune appeared quickly at the Stork Centre. The attending stork was dumbfounded when two men appeared at the edge of th eyrie and did not fly away at once. The dead chick was removed, and the super-cooled, at the edge lying one, placed into the nest hollow. The ladder had barely been lowered when the stork returned and nestled the chick. Internet Stork fans the world over followed the actions with worries and hope. The hope increased when cheeps could be heard from Meto and he eagerly grabbed for fodder. The action was a wonderful cooperation of Stork Fans, who reported the situation to the Stork Centre, which decided in this unique situation to intervene, and the Vetschau Fire Department which responded at once upon being requested. To all a heartfelt "THANK YOU". May Meto grow to be a strong stork!

Winfried Boehmer
NABU-Project Leader

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