From Ukraine's most famous stork family - Baby Katrusia's heartbreaking fall and inspiring recovery (video)

What happened in the stork nest

On May 23, around midday, something shocking occurred in the nest of Hrytsko and Odarka. Around noon, all five chicks were still huddled together near their father. Suddenly, Hrytsko picked up the smallest chick, carried it to the edge of the nest, then lifted it in his beak and flew away. A few minutes later, he returned—but without the chick. The little one was gone.

That day, only four of the five chicks remained in the nest. Observers noted that such incidents are biologically predictable but still evoke strong emotions. Some even sarcastically suggested giving Hrytsko a "bad father" medal.

Hrytsko leaves the chicks alone (photo: facebook.com/lelekagricko)

Why storks may throw chicks out

In the wild, stork parents sometimes deliberately get rid of one of their chicks. There are several possible reasons:

• Limited food resources. If there isn't enough food, adult birds reduce the number of offspring to save at least some of them.
• The chick's health. A weak, ill, or injured chick may be rejected so energy isn't wasted on its care.
• Human interference. A human touch to the nest or chicks may alter the chick's scent or stress the parents. As a result, they may lose their instinctive connection to the chick.

This is how Katrusia looks now (photo: facebook.com/lelekagricko)

What happened to Katrusia

The smallest and weakest chick was named Katrusia, and life in the nest was very hard for her.

"Hrytsko didn't feed her all day, and when she asked for food, he aggressively pecked her on the head. He forbade her from begging for food. He didn't do that to the other chicks. He drove her to the point where she began eating dirt out of hunger and became sick. On May 23, he grabbed her by the neck and dragged her all over the nest, trying to throw her out, but the nest structure didn't allow it.

Katrusia caught her neck on the twigs of the nest and pretended to be dead. He stood and watched, checking if she was really dead or just faking. Then he grabbed her by the head and took her to a field. He threw her out to starve. That's the short version. Her brothers and sisters also constantly pecked her in the nest to survive, and she kept pretending to be dead," read comments in the Facebook group "Stork Hrytsko."

Katrusia is being treated at the Rehabilitation Center "Sadyba Niushanyk." Specialists are awaiting additional test results to determine if antibiotics are needed. According to the center's director, Iryna Snopko, the chick's condition is stable. Today, Katrusia regurgitated a pellet, undigested food remnants.

Katrusia is being treated now (video: facebook.com/ira.sarazins.ka)

For now, the chick is under quarantine. When her condition improves, she will be moved to an aviary, where she can warm up in the sun and interact with other storks undergoing rehabilitation. "Our goal is to return her to the wild," emphasized Iryna Snopko.

Previously, we reported that a dog in Ukraine "adopted" white tiger cubs (video).