Black Stork Wounded by Gunshot Rescued in Caserta Province

Last January, a beautiful black stork (Ciconia nigra), a migratory species at risk of extinction, was found seriously injured by a gunshot in the province of Caserta.

The specimen, a one-year-old female, was urgently transported to the CRAS “Federico II” at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, in collaboration with the ASL Napoli 1 Centro at the veterinary hospital.

Thanks to a long and demanding path of care and rehabilitation, supported by the Carabinieri Forestale Group of Caserta for the legal aspects, the stork was saved and was able to fly again in its natural habitat.

The release, which took place at the end of July, was carefully controlled: the stork was reintroduced into nature with a gradual removal, under the constant surveillance of the veterinary medical staff of the ASL Napoli 1 Centro, the CRAS “Federico II” and the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).

This specimen is part of a European project to ring and GPS track black storks migrating from Poland to the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa.

A GPS device, applied to the stork by ISPRA-authorized personnel at the time of release, allows its movements to be followed and any long-range migrations to be monitored.

ciconia nigraThe data from remote monitoring highlight the full recovery of the animal, confirmed by medium-range movements in one of the rare southern Italian sites currently occupied by the species, where at the moment some young individuals are present.