Freezing Storks Warmed Up by Bulgarian Turks

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 23 March 2018)


One of the storks even brought a new baby!

Storks, the harbingers of Spring, had been flying in unusually
warm weather until a sudden cold snap caught them in Bugaria's
Deliorman and Dobruca regions on their way to their mating grounds
in Europe.  The freezing weather put frost on the birds' wings and legs,
grounding them and making them easy prey for predators.  The mostly
Turkish residents of the area, though, have come to the aid of the
storks.

Safet Halid (53), who lives in Dulovo's Zaritsa (its Turkish name is
Kamerler) village, has been foremost in taking the storks into his
house to keep them warm.  Following his example, other villagers
are hosting more than 50 birds.  Additionally, storks have been
welcomed in homes in Russe (12), Çernik (14) and Depol, İsperih,
Aven and Vokil (2 guest houses in each village). 


"Nice, but when it warms up let's get the flock outta here."

Bulgaria's Deputy Minister for Environment and Water, Krassimir
Zhivkov, visited Safet Halid and presented him with a new stove as
a gift from Minister Neno Dimov to Halid for his efforts in
protecting the storks.  Halid, a road worker, told Milliyet that "my
job in the winter is to clear the roads of snow.  While doing my job
I noticed the storks so I gathered them up and brought them into
my home."