After spending the winter in sunny Africa, storks arriving at their traditional breeding grounds in Poland this spring are literally ruffling their feathers to keep out the bitter cold. Instead of spring showers and April flowers, they are finding sub-zero temperatures and snow. Without the help of local people, they may not make it.
Watch the video below and answer the following questions. Are they True or False?
1. Poland homes 25% of the worlds stork population
a. True
b. False
2. The storks behaviour is normal for springtime.
a. True
b. False
3. The stork, Gustave is about a year old.
a. True
b. False
For transcript and answers see below.
Transcript and Answers:
In Poland, the sight of storks soaring in from Africa has always been a sure sign of spring. But this year, a springtime deep freeze has left them - and others - bewildered. In the eastern Polish town of Sarnaki, winter is dragging on into April and posing a serious threat to storks here, which account for about a quarter of the world's total population. The town is feeding them to help them survive.
"It's chicken and other poultry which we cut up ourselves so the storks won't choke. We prepare between 15 and 20 kilogram’s per day."
Over the last week, it's become a daily lunchtime ritual. After a few minutes of caution, the storks wander out onto the ice and display a flocking behaviour rarely seen during the springtime mating season.
"I've been a fire fighter for 30 years, and I've never seen it before. Normally, storks flock together to migrate in the fall, but never in the spring when they arrive to mate."
These storks at the Warsaw zoo have all survived accidents and aren’t as strong as their feathered friends in the wild. Now the veterinarian that cares for them, is worried the sub-zero temperatures may take a heavy toll on the flock. Ruffling their feathers helps them to stay warm, but their long thin legs are vulnerable to frostbite.
"As long as we have double digit freezing temperatures and high humidity, the storks can't spend the night in their nests perched high in trees. They could suffer frostbite and other leg injuries."
Gustave is very lucky. He’s warm and plenty to eat. He's been living on a farm in northern Poland since its owners saved him last spring.
"Gustave was thrown out of the nest by his brothers and sisters almost as soon as he came out of the egg. My son found him. Normally, storks deliver children, but in this case the opposite was true!"
Under Polish law, anyone keeping a stork needs a licence. So as soon as the weather gets better the Olewinskis are planning to set Gustave free. Though whether he'll want to leave, is entirely another matter.
Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a
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