Two black storks shot: “It makes your heart hurt”

“It’s really a drama, nature conservation and especially bird protection are very important to me”says Franz Kohlbauer, spokesman for the Schärding district group of the Upper Austria Nature Conservation Association, in an interview with OÖNachrichten. The reason for the outrage is the killing of two black storks that were found in the immediate vicinity of the Jochenstein power plant in the municipality of Engelhartszell.

“I received a call from a passerby who discovered the animal carcasses. The black storks, of which there are perhaps two pairs in the Schärding district, are located around two meters apart in the bushes. It was obvious that the animals were not killed there. I assume they were thrown down from the street above”Kohlbauer suspects. “It just makes your heart hurt.”

The black stork is one of the bird species in Europe that is considered particularly worthy of protection. The State Criminal Police Office is investigating this case; the bird protection organization BirdLife had previously filed a criminal complaint.

Handsome capturer’s reward

“According to the examination, both black storks were perfectly healthy and were shot with shotgun pellets”says Kohlbauer. When asked how high his hopes were for catching the perpetrator, the Nature Conservation Association district spokesman replied: “Small amount. My hopes rest on the fact that there might be someone who knows what happened. They can also contact me anonymously at 0664/8183239. If someone knows something but remains silent, it is nothing other than giving permission for such actions.” The Union “Nature conservation Upper Austria Schärding” Chairman Walter Christl has offered a capturer’s reward totaling 4,200 euros. As a club you provide 1000 euros, “The rest comes together through our coordination, because there are many people who care about this issue”says Christl.