Klepetan And Malena – Two Storks In Love
Klepetan and Malena tell a story of maximum loyalty, because the wounded Malena has been Klepetan’s partner for 14 years. The Croatian farmer named Stjepan Vokicm looks after Malena in winter when Klepetan has moved to Africa.
The white stork is one of the most emblematic birds in various European cultures and two of them so in love have appeared in Croatia.
Although it is well known that the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a monogamous bird that stays with the same partner until death, this couple has touched many people.
The story of Klepetan and Malena, two storks in love
The story of Klepetan and Malena , a pair of white storks who share a nest on a roof in Slavonski Brod in eastern Croatia, leaves almost no one indifferent.
For over 14 years, the two storks in love have lived together every breeding season in a nest in which they have raised more than 60 chicks.
Malena was shot in one of her wings by a hunter years ago, rendering her flightless. That doesn’t stop Klepetan from returning to her every year, as he still moves from Croatia to southern Africa every winter.
It seems incredible that Klepetan travels more than 10,000 kilometers each year to meet Malena and spend the breeding season with her, to love her and to give birth to a new group of chicks.
The migration behavior of storks
In order to understand Klepetan’s annual journey, one has to know that the white stork migrates long distances: white storks migrate from northeastern Europe to the Nile valley, to the great African rift valley or even to South Africa.
The concept of bird migration was discovered through arrow storks : In the 19th century, several storks were sighted returning from their mysterious journeys with arrows of African origin.
Something as unfortunate and random as a stork surviving such an attack led Europeans to discover bird migration.
A farmer and two birds in love
There is a third interesting point in this story: between the two birds in love, there is also the farmer Stjepan Vokicm, who is now retired and takes care of Malena in winter because she can hardly find food on her own.
Stjepan even built a jetty so that Malena can reach her eyrie, otherwise she cannot fly up.
He also makes sure that everything is prepared for Klepetan’s arrival. He even helps them find food during the breeding season, as Klepetan would normally be assisted by Malena in finding food for the chicks.
The two storks in love … and their fame
The story of the two storks in love, Klepetan and Malena, is followed by thousands of Croatians every year.
Klepetan and Malena have become a sensation that they even have sponsors and serve as ambassadors for these misunderstood migratory birds: Many still shoot them for their huge nests, which they usually build on roofs.
What is certain is that the two storks in love are an example of how incredible their behavior is and that they can also be helped to spread in certain regions:
