The Cape Bird Club

The Story of the Little Princess by Otto Schmidt

The Little Princess arrives 'home' again
in 2005 after another of her intercontinental journeys

Some of you may have seen the short article in the Cape Times of 11 April 2007 titled “Death of Little Princess the stork makes internet news”. It reports the death on the farm near Hopstad in the Free State, of Germany’s most well known White Stork. The fact that Michael Kaatz, bird expert based at a stork haven in Loburg in eastern Germany and cameraman Klaus Tummler flew all the way to South Africa to obtain further details and that a monument to the bird now marks its final resting place on the farm, shows that this was indeed a famous lady.

I first became aware of the Little Princess in mid 2005 when my cousin in Wittenberg sent me several newspaper clippings about the stork, the first to be fitted with a satellite transmitter in 1994, and which has since been monitored on its migration route through Africa ever since. It generally ended up near Port Elizabeth, a trip f about 10,00 kilometers. The bird bred at or near the stork haven in Louburg which takes in injured birds for rehabilitation and has since its establishment in 1979 cared for over 1080 White Storks, 17 Black Storks, 3 Cranes and about 50 raptors (2005 statistics). This information and much more I found on the havens website at www.storchenhof-loburg.info/index 

The Little Princess as Louburg’s undoubted star, her activities after returning from her annual journey as well as during her long annual journey south being followed by many fans internationally through the website. According to Michael Kaatz, the majority of the storks breeding in the eastern part of Germany, about 80% of German breeding population (143 young birds were reared in the Wittenberg district in 2004) migrate westwards to Spain, many then cross into Africa via Gibraltar. The remainder including the Little Princess, take the eastern route over Syria, Israel and Egypt before heading south through Africa, passing through about 20 countries and traversing three continents.

The birds travelling east return to their breeding area considerably later than those from the wes, the birds from Spain returning in mid March, whilst those from the eastern route are only expected back over a month later. In 2003 the Little Princess only returned “home” on 29 May. This can cause major “domestic stress” as the breeding pairs which generally mate for life, do not migrate together. So, the Little Princess’s longtime partner, Jonas, migrated to Spain and when she returned to her nest in 2003, he had already set up home with a new partner. This led to hefty clashes at the nest site, and the Little Princess was driven away and failed to breed that year and in 2004.

In 2005 she returned from migration rather earlier, and by the end of April she had set up nest with a new partner, Prinz Erik. The nest contained two healthy nestlings by mid June. A third chick was introduced by ornithologists at Loburg, and all three were successfully raised. Towards the end of August the three chicks left the nest site, followed one day later by the Little Princess. On one occasion, stork experts Dr Christoph Kaatz and Dr Michael Kaatz with two German (ZDF) film crews and a pilot followed the bird on its migration route. They were present when thousands of stocks crossed the Bosphorus, and watched her reach her most southerly point in Africa, documenting the many dangers that the birds encountered on their long journey. They found that the Princess averaged 150 – 300 kilometers per day, but that 700 kilometers in a day. Her first wintering area in Africa was in Chad or Sudan and to reach this area took
3 – 4 weeks.

All this was recorded on 200 x 30 minute cassettes of film, which resulted in 2 x 45 minute documentaries which premiered at the secondary school in Louburg in early April 2006. They were flighted on German national television a few weeks later. A book documenting the journey was released at the same time. (Previously the little Princess had been the star of an MDR television ”soapie” and she has also appeared on a German postage stamp).

She returned to her nest site from her 2005/6 migration on 21 April. Prinz Erik had already returned two weeks before and a lone female was making advances towards Prinz Erik when she flew in. She immediately engaged the female and after a brief fight, drove her off. This time, they produced three of their own youngsters. On 23 August, Little Princess left on what was to be her last trip south into Africa. So it was small wonder that her death apparently of natural causes, Buks de Klerk’s farm Uitzicht in the Free State, made the news. She was seen, apparently in poor health, by the De Klerks on the morning of 23 December 2006. 40 minutes later, when they again passed the spot she was dead. They secured the ring and transmitter and emailed the contact address. 

photograph by Michael Kaatz

R.I.P Little Princess

The message however only reached Louburg in January and Michael Kaatz and Klaus Tummler spontaneously flew out to South Africa. The birds body was exhumed and reburied under a large tree near the farm entrance, a memorial stone was placed at the spot to commemorate the passing of this , Germany’s most famous White stork. She had carried the 35 gram satellite transmitter on her annual journey for 14 years, allowing details of her life back home and on migration to be brought into the homes of her many fans across the globe.