African stork found wandering Wisconsin gets new home
After weeks of sightings, a rare marabou stork has been rescued and given a permanent home at Safari Lake Geneva.
THE FAMOUS STORK SPOTTED ACROSS WISCONSIN NOW HAS A NEW HOME SAFARI. LAKE GENEVA SAYS IT RESCUED THE MARABOU STORK LATE YESTERDAY AFTER WEEKS OF SIGHTINGS AROUND THE REGION, INCLUDING FOND DU LAC, APPLETON AND SHEBOYGAN. THE BIRD IS NATIVE TO SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. THE MAN WHO RESCUED THE BIRD JOINS US NOW. LIVE JUNGLE. JAY CHRISTIE IS HERE WITH SAFARI LAKE GENEVA JUNGLE. JAY, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE. I UNDERSTAND THE SERVICE IS A LITTLE GLITCHY WHERE YOU ARE, BUT WE’RE READY TO TALK TO YOU. I’M CURIOUS. TAKE US BACK TO THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS WHOLE ORDEAL. WAS IT WERE YOU NERVOUS WHEN YOU FOUND OUT THE THE BIRD WAS HERE? I MEAN, WHAT WAS THAT PROCESS LIKE? >> I THAT’S A GOOD POINT. PROBABLY A MIXTURE OF EMOTIONS, BUT PARAMOUNT AMONG THEM WAS PROBABLY MAKING SURE THAT THE STORK WAS WAS RESCUED FROM WHAT WAS CLEARLY A UNSAFE LIVING SITUATION, WHICH WAS MORE SPECIFICALLY FLYING AT QUITE LOW ALTITUDE ACROSS A BUSY HIGHWAY AND NEARLY GETTING CLIPPED BY A VEHICLE MULTIPLE TIMES, AND EVEN WALKING ACROSS THE HIGHWAY. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO, I MEAN, AT THIS POINT, TAKE US INTO YOUR PROCESS. HOW DO YOU FIND THE BIRD AND THEN HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO CATCH IT? DO YOU PUT LIKE AN APPLE AIRTAG? ARE YOU FOLLOWING ITS LOCATION? HOW DO YOU KEEP TABS ON IT? >> WELL, BY THE TIME I REALLY GOT INVOLVED, IT HAD FIXATED ON ONE PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN THE SHEBOYGAN AREA. AND AS A CONSEQUENCE OF BEING REGULARLY FED BY THE HOMEOWNER, THANKFULLY, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO KEEP HER IN THE AREA FOR A WHOLE WEEK AND DESENSITIZE HER. SO MUCH. SO TO TO THIS PARTICULAR HOMEOWNER THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO LEAD HER INTO THE HOUSE AND, AND THEN JUST SCOOP HER UP THERE AND BRING HER DOWN HERE. >> AND SO INSIDE THE CAPTURE OF THIS BIRD IS, IS THE BIRD FREAKING OUT? I MEAN, WHAT IS KIND OF THE POSTURE OF THE BIRD IN THIS MOMENT AS YOU’RE TRYING TO OBVIOUSLY GET THIS BIRD TO SAFETY? >> SHE WAS QUITE CALM. CLEARLY, SHE HAD BEEN IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVERS FOR A LONG TIME, AND PROBABLY HADN’T BEEN ON THE LAM FOR TOO LONG. WE CAN SAY WITH ALMOST CERTAINTY. SO I THINK SHE WAS ALMOST SEEKING OUT HUMAN COMPANIONSHIP. >> FASCINATING. I MEAN, WHEN YOU SEE THE IMAGES, IT REALLY DOES STOP YOU IN YOUR TRACKS. DO WE KNOW WHY THIS BIRD WAS IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN? OR RATHER, HOW IT EVEN GOT HERE? >> CLEARLY IT HAD BEEN IN PROFESSIONAL CARE SOMEWHERE, LIKELY IN IN THE MIDWEST. AND BASED ON ITS OVERALL CONDITION, LOOK LIKE IT WAS BEING WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND PROBABLY HADN’T BEEN ON THE LAND FOR TOO LONG. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO AT THIS POINT, I MEAN, I KNOW IT’S IT’S IN YOUR CARE NOW, ARE, ARE YOU ALLOWED TO KEEP IT? IS THIS IS THIS GOING TO BE THE FOREVER HOME OF OF THE BIRD AT THIS POINT. >> WE’LL BE MAKING SOME PHONE CALLS IN THE WEEK AHEAD AND DOING A WORKUP AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT SHE’S HEALTHY. SHE OUTWARDLY APPEARS. I THINK SOME OF FIRST CALLS WILL BE TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE MARABOU, STORK OBSERVED, BOTH IN PROFESSIONAL CARE AND IN THE WILD IN AFRICA. THEY DO LIKE TO HAVE A NICE LITTLE SOCIAL NETWORK. IT’S NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE AS MANY AS 50 IN A TREE IN AFRICA. SO WE’D LIKE TO SEE HER MEET UP WITH OTHER MARIUPOL STORKS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND REAL QUICK, OUR FINAL QUESTION, JUNGLE JAY, JUST CURIOUS, HOW’S THE BIRD DOING NOW? WHAT’S THE BIRD STATE OF MIND AND, AND KIND OF WHAT’S NEXT? CAN PEOPLE COME DOWN THERE TO YOUR AREA AND SEE THE BIRD? I KNOW PEOPLE IN OUR AREA WERE JUST THEY WERE JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. >> HE IS IN STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE QUARANTINE RIGHT NOW AND WILL BE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. SO I WOULD ALERT ALL OUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEEING HER NOW, OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE IS QUITE LOW, BUT WE STILL LOVE TO SEE YOU. WE’RE OPEN EVERY DAY THROUGH OCTOBER 31ST. >> ABSOLUTELY. JUNGLE, JAY, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANKS FOR TAKING US INTO THE PROCESS OF HOW THIS WHOLE THING CAME TO BE. IT REALLY IS FASCINATING AND GLAD TO KNOW THAT THE BIRD IS SAFE RIGHT NOW AND HAS A PLACE TO FIND SOME REFUGE. SO THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, JUNGLE JAY. WE’RE GOING TO LET YOU GET BACK TO IT. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, AND WE THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US ON 12 NEWS AT FOUR. WE’RE GOING TO TAKE
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African stork found wandering Wisconsin gets new home
After weeks of sightings, a rare marabou stork has been rescued and given a permanent home at Safari Lake Geneva.
A marabou stork that had been spotted across Wisconsin for weeks has been rescued and given a new home at Safari Lake Geneva.The conservation park said it rescued the African bird late Wednesday after sightings in several communities around the region.Park founder “Jungle” Jay Christie, described as Wisconsin’s foremost exotic animal expert, said the operation went smoothly.”She surrendered without any resistance,” Christie said. “She immediately settled into our quarantine facilities and is already a staff favorite. She is remarkably tame, by stork standards.”WATCH Beware of drunk deer, police warn, announcing season of inebriationThe marabou stork is native to sub-Saharan Africa, and it is still unknown how the bird arrived in Wisconsin. Maggie Christie, the park’s director of conservation, said the animal faced serious risks in the wild.”It’s unlikely she would have survived another month on the lam, given the number of reported near collisions with vehicular traffic,” Maggie Christie said. “And, of course, she would never survive one of our winters.”Safari Lake Geneva staff say the stork is now in quarantine at the park and is already settling in.
A marabou stork that had been spotted across Wisconsin for weeks has been rescued and given a new home at Safari Lake Geneva.
The conservation park said it rescued the African bird late Wednesday after sightings in several communities around the region.
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Park founder “Jungle” Jay Christie, described as Wisconsin’s foremost exotic animal expert, said the operation went smoothly.
“She surrendered without any resistance,” Christie said. “She immediately settled into our quarantine facilities and is already a staff favorite. She is remarkably tame, by stork standards.”
WATCH Beware of drunk deer, police warn, announcing season of inebriation
The marabou stork is native to sub-Saharan Africa, and it is still unknown how the bird arrived in Wisconsin.
Maggie Christie, the park’s director of conservation, said the animal faced serious risks in the wild.
“It’s unlikely she would have survived another month on the lam, given the number of reported near collisions with vehicular traffic,” Maggie Christie said. “And, of course, she would never survive one of our winters.”
Safari Lake Geneva staff say the stork is now in quarantine at the park and is already settling in.
