Storchennest in Harras: Young stork breaks wings - rescue succeeded!

Storchennest in Harras: Young stork breaks wings - rescue succeeded!

Harras, Deutschland - in Harras, a small town in the Hildburghausen district, an injured stork was sighted on July 19, 2025. The stork, one of three young storks from this year's brood, had suffered a broken wing near his nest. Fortunately, the animal could be captured quickly, so that it can be treated promptly how Insuedthueringen.de reported.

The rehabilitation of injured storks is of great importance, since the white stork in Germany was threatened with extinction for a long time. However, thanks to extensive protective measures and the efforts of nature conservation organizations, the population has recovered. In the 1980s, the species was almost on the ground, but today numerous interested parties enjoy their impressive train trips and breeding habits, for example by supporting projects such as the BAG Weißstorchchutz.

meaning of the storch protection measures

A central point of the work of the BAG is the annual inventory of the white storks based on data from all federal states. The recording helps to develop adaptation strategies and protect the habitat of the white stork, as it faces challenges such as the loss of its habitat, especially in moist grassland areas. Many storks are now drawing shorter routes and spending winter in milder regions such as Spain or parts of Germany, which could also be due to changing climatic conditions.

Another focus of the BAG is to analyze the train behavior of European white storks. It is important to them to promote the public participation in the protective measures. Interested citizens can contribute data to their observations via citizens' science projects such as online white stork recording and thus contribute to protection.

are our storks still adequately appreciated?

The storks and their tragic injuries also take a critical look at the challenges that the animals face. The case of the injured stork in Harras reminds us of how important each individual bird is and what great efforts have to be made to secure its continued existence. Although the stork in Harras was quickly supplied, there are many other storks that need support.

If you would like to learn more about the activities and protective measures for the white storks, you will find additional information on Spiegel.de nabu.de. Let us show our appreciation for these majestic birds and we make our contribution so that they can continue to be observed in our regions in the future!