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MILWAUKEE - A stork native to Africa had been spotted across northeast Wisconsin for weeks. Now, it has a home at an animal conversation park in Lake Geneva.
Wisconsin stork captured
What they're saying:
Safari Lake Geneva immerses families in the sights and sounds of all kinds of animals, including one that has recently generated a lot of attention – particularly on social media.
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"We recently added a marabou stork to the family, although possibly not forever, but we were able to rescue this stork," said Jay Christie, the park's owner.
Christie said he rescued the stork on Thursday after people spotted it in Sheboygan County. It had previously been spotted in Appleton, Fond du Lac and Green Bay, according to WLUK-TV.
Marabou stork captured in Sheboygan County (Courtesy: Safari Lake Geneva)
"It didn't take long for her to surrender, and she seemed to do so quite willingly," he said. "We're just so happy we could've removed her from what was really an ongoing dangerous situation with the traffic and stuff."
The stork is currently in quarantine, away from Safari Lake Geneva's other animals – and news cameras. Christie said the bird weighs about 10 pounds and is roughly 3 feet tall.
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"Probably the first time a lot of our staff ever had exposure to this really unusual bird," he said. "Kind of an epic adventure, saving one of the world's largest flying birds."
What's next:
Christie is not sure how long the stork will remain at Safari Lake Geneva, but he's hopeful the bird will enjoy its new home for as long as it is there.
African stork in Wisconsin captured, Safari Lake Geneva says
A marabou stork, native to Africa but presumed to have escaped captivity before being spotted across northeast Wisconsin, has been captured.
Where did the stork come from?
Dig deeper:
It's still not clear where the stork came from. Steven Thompson, who previously shared pictures of the bird with FOX6 News, believed it could have escaped captivity in Indiana in October 2023.
Safari Lake Geneva said it has determined the stork did not escape from zoos in Indiana or Louisiana.
What is a marabou stork?
Dig deeper:
Marabou storks are native to sub-Saharan Africa but have an "extremely large range," according to SeaWorld – inhabiting savannas, grasslands, swamps and areas where fish are concentrated.
The Phoenix Zoo said marabou storks stand up to 5 feet tall and weigh nearly 20 pounds with typical wingspans up to 9 feet, though wider wingspans have been reported.
For comparison, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said sandhill cranes – one of the largest birds native to Wisconsin – can grow up to 5 feet tall with wingspans up to seven feet.
The large birds can live up to 20 years in captivity, SeaWorld notes, but it's unknown how long they live in the wild. As scavengers, their diet primarily consists of carrion – fish, some insects, small reptiles, rodents and even other birds.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed Christie about the rescue. Additional details are from prior coverage of the stork's travels, including information from the Phoenix Zoo, SeaWorld, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, WLUK-TV and social media reports.