Help the White Storks survive winter!

In our Center for shelter Storks can count since about 15 years. With each year the number of individuals going for us is increased significantly. In the last year 2008 we adopted 128 seriously or lightly wounded, the representatives of these beautiful birds.

Most cases are broken wings and limbs, falls from slots and the most severe accidents such as collisions with high-voltage lines. So far, there refused to help any animal. As the only such institution in Podkarpackie which accept Storks from around the province and neighboring provinces. Average length of stay with us one individual to his total cure and achieve its full efficiency, and their survival in the wild (depending on the type and severity of injury) ranges from about 30 to 150 days. Storks come to the handicapped, which unfortunately are doomed to stay with us for life because of injuries to injuries (severe fracture wings, limbs, partial electric shock as a result of an accident on the high voltage lines). Currently at the Center are about 40 white storks (in the summer with us their number rises to more than 100). On all of our daily meals of storks in the winter (there are over 40) need 20kg of raw meat! (0.5 kg per individual). Iy is easily to calculate that storks eat monthly around 600kg of meat! In the summer, when their numbers with us more than 100 individuals, automatically increasing demand for meat. Day goes around 40kg (0.4 kg per individual - slightly less than in winter due to the favorable climatic conditions). The postponement for a month this summer gives: 1200kg! As you can see, the costs of living of our patients are very high. Come to the much higher cost of necessary medicines, without which treatment would not have affected the birds, a chance of success. Until now, the medical and food expenses were covered from our own pockets to conduct our clinic which was for us a real financial burden. Unfortunately, we achieved a financial limit, and we are no longer able to manage without help from outside, and the number of birds (including storks) is growing each year. For comparison, in 2003 we adopted 211 birds in 2006 - 286 victims, while last year 2008, up to 388 needy individuals.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

It is a species of large wading bird from the stork’s family (Ciconiidae). Originally the species was more related to forest areas. Currently, there are grasslands, prairies, savannas, farmland (often near water), wetlands, wet or periodically flooded meadows and pastures, around lakes and lagoons. Stork loves scattered trees, in which he can nest or sleep. He occurs mainly in the lowlands, rare in the highlands (up to 3500 meters in the Caucasus). The white stork Avoids cold areas, with frequent rainfall, high areas and areas of dense vegetation (eg reeds, and dense forests). In contrast to the black stork does not avoid human settlements and often nests even in the middle of the countryside or in small towns, mostly in areas with extensive river valleys and wet meadows. Appears in the garbage dumps. White Stork is not a species of globally threatened with extinction, although a hundred years significantly reduced their numbers in many areas of northern and western Europe (Denmark, Sweden and Italy). In Poland, due to the declining size of species is covered in a protective program coordinated by the Polish Society of Wildlife Friends "pro Nature" (White Stork Conservation Program and its habitat). The Sixth international white stork census of 2004 estimated the size of the species approximately 230 thousand pairs. Most often nest on the Polish territory (about 52.5 thousand couples of childbearing age, approximately 23% of the world's population), Spain, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia. Causes of the decline may be climate change, drainage of wetlands and use of pesticides in agriculture. White Stork Ciconia ciconia is a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, Bonn Convention, the Bern, Ramsar, and the stork is mentioned in the so-called. EU Birds Directive.

More about White Stork

www.en.wikipedia.org

Therefore, as a Foundation; the Rehabilitation Center of Protected Animals in Przemyśl we entered into the National Court Register (KRS) under the heading:

KRS 0000313847

we turn the urgent and kindly ask for financial support. Every penny counts. We are very grateful for every payment and support, which is for us and above all for our charges extremely valuable.  

Thank you for any voluntary contributions.

Jakub Kotowicz, Radosław Fedaczyński