The same storm that tore off roofs and flipped cars also brought down the nests. In the Municipality of Cheshinovo-Obleshevo, where the stork is part of the region's identity, the young birds ended up on the ground. The local authority took them in and provided care, food and water.

The results are already visible. The municipality reports that two of the rescued storks are ready to take off again, while care for the rest will continue until they are able to return to the wild and rejoin the flock.

Mayor Jordanche Kostadinov expressed hope that a shelter dedicated to this protected species will be built in the future, so the municipality can respond more effectively to similar disasters. Until then, the municipality has appealed to residents to help care for and feed the young storks left without nests.

Notice where the bar has been set. A municipality in Eastern Macedonia mounts a rescue operation for a protected species, has nowhere to house the birds, and ends up asking its own residents for help. This is not a criticism of Cheshinovo-Obleshevo - they did more than anyone expects of them. It is a picture of how far the nature protection institutions are from the ground where things actually happen.

The appeal is worth answering. But the idea of a shelter should not stay a mayor's hope in a press release. If the stork is the symbol of this region, then protecting that symbol is somebody's job with a budget line attached, not a matter of seasonal goodwill.