Helmut Storch

Helmut Storch (born August 1, 1912 ; † July 2005 in Verden-Dauelsen ) was a German zoo keeper and conservationist. He was married to Gerda Storch and initially volunteered at the Heligoland ornithological station .

In 1960, he and his wife began to look after white storks in the Verden district . In the course of setting up the first German stork care station in the Eitze district of Verden, he was commissioned to ring the birds in 1962 . In 1971 he relocated the station to the Dauelsen district , where it was rebuilt entirely from own funds on a spacious plot of land and - officially recognized - was operated as a Lower Saxony stork care station. Three years later, the state of Lower Saxony granted a subsidy for feed costs for the first time - but private donations always remained an important financial support. Over the decades he cared for hundreds of sick and injured storks that could be handed in to the station. At the same time, he continued to look after and ringed wild animals, with which he made great contributions to the preservation of the population in the Weser - Aller region. Storch advised interested parties on all aspects of support, from setting up individual nesting aids to the correct handling of sick animals found. He was also consulted as an expert on resettlement projects abroad.

Helmut Storch became a Verden original and enjoyed great popularity among the population. In July 2002 he gave up the stork station after 40 years for health reasons. As planned in the long term, the Wesermarsch stork care station in Berne , founded in 1992, took over the care of the last eight foster storks , some of which had been in the care of the animal rights activist for many years. He died shortly before his 93rd birthday in the summer of 2005.

Awards

• 1986: "Decoration of Honor in Gold" of the German Federation for Bird Protection (together with his wife)
• 1991: Honorary member of the NABU district association Verden (together with his wife)
• 1993: Invitation of the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder, to a "working lunch" in the Leineschloss (together with his wife)
• 2002: Letter of congratulations from Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Wolfgang Jüttner on his 90th birthday with thanks for his life's work

Publications

• 1981: A little stork paradise. White storks in the Verden district and in the Lower Saxony stork care station ( paperback )

• expanded editions 1984 and 1986

• 1991: On the 30th birthday of Storch Hansi

Web links

• www.storchenstation.de - The official website of the stork care station Wesermarsch
• Obituary for Helmut Storch on the official website of the Storchenpflegestation Wesermarsch