Stork chick dies in Germany, plastic waste suspected cause

A young stork chick has died in Freinsheim, Germany, with operators of a local stork camera suspecting plastic waste as the cause. Marie-Louise Wiesenbach, who runs the camera with her husband Florian Graus, reported the sad news two weeks after a previous rescue of a chick from the same nest.

The couple's stork camera, which attracts tens of thousands of viewers, captured footage showing the chick appearing apathetic. Wiesenbach observed the chick trying unsuccessfully to regurgitate its food, indicating a potential obstruction. Christian Reis from the Stork Center Bornheim noted that foreign objects like plastic, rubber, silicone, or even fungal growth can cause such issues, stating it occurs in "every second nest."

The district of Bad Dürkheim has previously warned about the dangers of rubber bands and other waste found in fields and vineyards, emphasizing that indigestible plastics can displace food for birds. Wiesenbach mentioned that the chick's chances of survival were initially 50:50. It is now expected that a parent bird might remove the dead chick from the nest to avoid attracting predators. Retrieving the chick with a fire department ladder is not an option, as Reis pointed out that approaching stork nests is generally prohibited unless a bird is in immediate danger, such as being strangled by a cord.

Despite this loss, there is a glimmer of hope. A previous rescue, facilitated by camera viewers, involved saving the smallest chick that had been pushed from the nest. This chick was recovered by firefighters from a gutter and is now in a "stork kindergarten" in Bornheim. Wiesenbach and thousands of camera fans are now hoping for the continued well-being of the remaining chick.

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So etwas passiert in jedem zweiten Nest.