WILD AND WOOLLY

The presence of the very tame and friendly Woolly Necked Storks in and around Hilton is cherished by many residents, who have the pleasure of having them live in, or visit, their gardens regularly.

Some people have taken to not only diligently feeding them, but looking out for them and noting their movements and habitual patterns. However, there has been some debate on whether these birds should be fed by humans, and if so, what sort of food?

Celtis Road’s Marius Odendaal has five or six of these storks arriving every afternoon to be fed. He says that sometimes, they’ve actually entered his house to call him if he has forgotten to feed them.

At first he fed them chicken livers, but their daily demand got a bit expensive, so now he feeds them chicken polony.

“They are so tame. We have cats and dogs, and they all live together in harmony. Occasionally, though, the storks will try to go for the cats’ tails,” he said.

Another Celtis Road homeowner Marguerite Alheit also has three of the storks visiting regularly. The first time she saw them in her garden was April last year, and they have been around ever since.

“They eat dog pellets. They are very tame, and if you sit outside they come right up to your chair. Even my dogs are fine with them. We love having them around,” she said, adding that they also skim the surface of her pool for insects and, by doing so, keep it relatively clean. Nina Jones, who lives in World’s View, has one Woolly Necked Stork that has visited her garden every October for the past five years. She believes it is the same stork that returns every year, as she has always noticed a little lump near its throat.

Her cat, Tiger, and the feathered visitor have formed a special relationship, too. She started feeding the stork cheese, and soon, Tiger wanted his share of cheese too. Now Jones feeds her cat and the stork together outside whenever the stork pops in for a visit.

“At first, Tiger used to chase the stork, but now he lets him come close. They keep their distance, but they both seem relaxed together. In fact, on the past two visits, my cat responded happily, as if he were seeing a familiar friend,” she said.

In 2014, a University of KwaZulu-Natal Life Sciences Honours student Claire Marchant did her thesis on Woolly Necked Storks in the Midlands, and their successful attempt at acclimatising to urban environments.

Her research entailed collecting information from residents on their interactions and observations of the Woolly Necked Storks in urban areas.

According to Marchant’s research, in 2004, the storks were on the Red Data List for endangered animals, but their ability to successfully adapt to urbanisation and suburban life has caused them to become more common in urban areas and the species is now starting to grow.

“The increase in their population could be attributed to the increase in urban and suburban areas which may provide sources of water and food for the birds. Urbanisation may in fact be aiding the increase in population size of the woolly-necked stork as urban areas are associated with changes in predator abundance, and changes in urban areas may be more favourable to their survival,” Marchant wrote.

Their predominant diet is frogs, toads, snakes, fish, lizards and insects, however 61% of residents who responded to her questionnaire, said the storks ate their pets’ food. Similarly, 63% said they fed the storks regularly.

“Majority of woolly-necked storks (63%) sighted during this study were in close proximity to humans, often coming into contact for food.”

Conservationist and author Hugh Chittenden, however, strongly advises residents not to feed the friendly birds. “Don’t feed them.

There’s plenty of prey and natural food sources for them in urban environments and feeding them encourages bad habits of begging in the species. In the long run, it is not good for them to become reliant on humans for food, and to be eating an unnatural and unhealthy diet that can be harmful to them,” he urged.

“However, if you don’t want to stop feeding them, please stick to natural foods such as grain. Mincemeat won’t harm them, but shouldn’t be fed in large quantities.”