White stork breeding success reported in Grafschaft Bentheim

The white stork population in Grafschaft Bentheim has seen a successful breeding season in 2026. According to the final report from stork caretaker Wilfried Jürges of LAG Weißstorchschutz, 74 wild young storks have successfully fledged from the Tierpark Nordhorn alone.

Within the zoo grounds, 13 pairs built nests in a large oak tree, resulting in 29 successfully raised young. An additional 45 young storks were successfully reared from 28 other broods across the park. While most nests are located in trees, two specific roof nesting sites exist on the grounds.

One notable exception to the wild stork count is a pair at the Vechtehof, which is cared for by zoo staff. The female, known as ‘Oma’, is a resident zoo stork who hatched in 1999 and does not migrate south, unlike the other wild storks in the area.