ZAGREB, August 24, 2018 - Croatia observed Stork Day on Friday, 24 August, and on that occasion, institutions dealing with this bird species report that that in Europe there are some 220,000 couples of storks, mostly in Poland and Ukraine, whereas in Croatia there are an estimated 1,300 couples. They are mainly endangered by habitat change.
The area around Zagreb and Sisak-Moslavina County can boast of the largest number of storks in Croatia.
Storks are perceived as part of the identity of Croatian villages. They come to Croatia in the spring and remain until late summer when they migrate back to Africa. The white stork is an endangered species and its survival is dependent on village life. They prefer damp fields and traditionally cultivated farmland as this provides the most appropriate feeding ground for the stork.
The most famous Croatian migratory stork is the male stork called "Klepetan" who has been flying to the same rooftop in a village near the eastern town of Slavonski Brod every year for 14 years – to be reunited with its crippled partner called "Malena".
The faithful Klepetan returns thus every year to Malena in east Croatia after a 5,000 mile migration.
