Croatia’s famous lovebird Klepetan finds a new companion

Klepetan and Malena (Screenshot/YouTube)

The famous Croatian love story of two long-legged storks, Klepetan and Malena, which lasted 19 years, came to end when Malena passed away in 2021. 

The two storks made their nest on a chimney in the eastern Croatian town of Brodski Varoš and Klepetan, despite being a migrating bird, miraculously returned to Croatia from Africa every spring for 19 years to reunite with his injured partner Malena, who couldn’t fly due to poachers’ injuries. 

This remarkable dedication showcased their enduring bond despite the challenges they faced.

Klepetan now has a new companion. Her name is Mlada, and she arrived this year in Brodski Varoš about ten days before him.

As soon Klepetan landed, he immediately visited the place where Malena, his late partner, is buried, and then he got down to finishing the nest for their offspring, daily 24sata reported.

Stjepan Vokić, who looked after Malena for almost three decades, says that Klepetan is now 35 and needed some more time this year to return to his place.

“A few years ago, my friends from Germany who track storks using GPS told me they read his chip in South Africa around Cape Town, so it’s no wonder it takes him so long. I think age might be a factor too; after all, he’s 35 years old, maybe even a little older, and he might need more frequent stops for rest. Despite his new mate, Klepetan remains faithful to his Malena and always visits her final resting place beneath the apple tree in the school garden. It’s such a remarkable love; I couldn’t believe it, and now I’m sure birds remember,” Vokić explains.

Stjepan Vokić (Photo: Press)

So far, Klepetan has carried away a whole bundle of branches which Vokić prepared for him. 

“I think the female has already laid one egg; he’s working frantically to finish the nest soon. His new companion hasn’t done anything around the nest because they don’t know how. Their job is just to rearrange the branches when the males bring them. It’s like with us humans; they’re responsible for managing the money,” Vokić tells 24sata, adding that she reminds him of Malena.

(Screenshot/YouTube)

“She stood in the nest the whole time and looked towards the east because she knew from which direction he would come. She’s a bit picky when it comes to food; she won’t eat anything except pork thigh, God forbid if there’s any fat, she won’t even look at it. She doesn’t care that my pension is small. I have to admit that now that Klepetan has arrived, they entertain each other more and go hunting for worms, frogs, and snails together, but when the young ones hatch, they’ll come begging me for food,” Vokić concluded.

(Photo credit: Storkman)

A documentary film about Klepetan and Malena, and their caretaker Vokić, is available online. Storkman” by Tomislav Jelinčić, in which the director immortalises the story of the love of man and animal, is now available online on the volimdokumentarce.net platform