Stork cheats death to save babies
Aberdeen Weekly Journal December 4 1880
When tragedy struck her nest a fearless stork refused to let her children perish.
A fierce lightning storm struck the village of Lewnburg in Germany with one mighty bolt hitting a barn where the stork family made their home.
The parents escaped and watched flames begin to engulf nest where their two storklings squawked in panic.
The mother flew back to the nest taking one of her chicks in her beak and raced through the flames to safety in the meadow to its waiting father who looked over the frightened bird while the brave mother flew back for its sibling.
Surrounded by flames the terrified baby stork squawked furiously as its mother swooped down but the charred nest fell into the burning barn below.
But the determined mother darted down into the smoke and fire frantically searching for her baby.
Onlookers gasped as she finally emerged with the live storkling in her beak.
The next day a wounded stork fell to the ground in the marketplace in the neighbouring town of Trebbin. She was unable to stand and the local policeman carried her into the guard house where it was discovered that both her legs were sorely burned.
She was recognised as the heroic rescuer from Lowenberg and a doctor was called to tend her wounds while the burgomaster found her a temporary hospital in the Rathous.
Meanwhile her mate began his search and eventually found her and each day he took time out of caring for their children to visit her.
Local school children visited daily to feed her with live frogs along with the burgomaster who was keen to check her progress.
Within two weeks the brave bird had recovered and flew away with her husband and children.
