Animal kingdom in Mierlo not only has tigers and polar bears, but also nesting storks. And just to be clear: they don’t live there in captivity. In total there are now 13 pairs breeding in the park and it is expected that there will be even more next year.
“A while ago we looked after the storks more actively. Then we also made special places where the animals can easily build their nests,” says animal caretaker Martijn Menting. And because storks are very loyal animals when it comes to their nest site, they now come back every year.
“The stork is doing much better now and that is reflected in the number of nests we have in the park. Who knows, in a few years we may have thirty breeding pairs here.” And the caretakers only applaud that. “This is also the function of a modern zoo: to protect populations and ensure that they come out of the danger zone. With the stork, that has been successful.”
The storks are literally everywhere in the park: in the enclosure of the chimpanzees, between the rhinoceroses and with the polar bears. “In that regard, they are not afraid, no”, Menting grins. The animals in the enclosures leave the birds alone. “The chimpanzees occasionally go and look. They can climb to the nest, but that is more out of curiosity.”
The stork’s breeding season lasts until summer, when they return to Africa with their offspring.