Earlier this week on October 15 KST, an opening ceremony was held for the new Science Center at Hwapo Ecological Park in the city of Gimhe, South Gyeongsang Province.
The highlight of this ceremony was the release of a family of Oriental storks, (mother, father, and offspring) raised in captivity, into the wild. Oriental storks, once native to the Korean peninsula, are considered extinct in the wild, and efforts to reintroduce Oriental storks into Korea's ecological habitat are led by a restoration facility in Bongha village, located in Gimhe.
During the Science Center opening ceremony, the family of Oriental storks were transported from the restoration facility to Hwapo Ecological Park in narrow cages dotted with small air holes. They were then kept inside the cages for approximately an hour and a half while officials such as the mayor of Gimhe and National Assemblyman spoke during the ceremony's program.
Finally, when the time came for the storks to be released into the wild, the infant stork spread its wings and flew out from the cage right away. It's father, unfortunately, did not exit the cage and had to be dragged out by the beak by a handler.
Once out of the cage, the father stork stumbled and fell into a pit, unable to fly. It was eventually picked up and transported back to the restoration facility but died shortly afterward.
The mother stork, released last, managed to walk into the grass but also was not able to spread its wings and take flight, based on footage from the ceremony. It is unclear what happened to the mother stork.
The caretakers in charge of overseeing the Oriental storks at the restoration facility believe that the father stork died of stress from being held in the narrow cage. It was further observed that the outdoor temperature on the day of the ceremony was 22 degrees Celsius (~ 76 degrees Fahrenheit), suggesting that the temperature inside the cage could have risen far past 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many onlookers expressed outrage over the abusive treatment of the Oriental storks, calling on the organizers of the opening ceremony to be held accountable.
Release of the infant stork:
Release of the father stork:
Release of the mother stork:
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