Klepetan and Malena


Klepetan and Malena are a pair of white storks who became renowned in Croatia for their romantic endeavors. Since 2001, Klepetan has traveled from South Africa to Brodski Varoš, Croatia, each spring to mate with Malena, who is unable to travel due to a gunshot injury.

Story

Croatia is a popular nesting spot for white storks; some 1,500 nesting pairs reside in the country, with some villages having more storks than people. Croatian janitor Stjepan Vokić found Malena while fishing in 1993; she had been shot by hunters and was unable to fly. Vokić rescued Malena and became her caretaker. In 2001, a male stork, whom Vokić named Klepetan, began to visit Malena. Klepetan returned every spring to mate with Malena. Through a radio tracking band, it was determined that Klepetan made a month-long journey from South Africa to Croatia to meet up with Malena each year. Vokić takes care of their chicks since Malena cannot hunt, building them a nest, shelter, and feeding them. In 2017, Klepetan returned to find another bird and a newly laid egg in Malena's nest. Klepetan drove the male away and smashed his competitor's egg. The pair had 66 chicks in total.
In 2019, a bird that may have been Klepetan showed up unusually early to Brodski Varoš. He was thought to have died on August 28, however there is some speculation that it was a different stork due to its odd behavior. Klepetan returned to Malena once again in April 2020 despite rumors of death.

In society

A 2017 documentary focused on the storks and Vokić. The Croatian tourism board created an animated video of Klepetan and Malena to promote Croatia. The pair of storks was the subject of a video that led to Lebanon adopting protections for migratory birds. The pair have been described as "Croatia's most unusual love story".