If you don’t believe in true love, then you’ve obviously never heard of Klepetan and Malena the storks.
Ever since Malena had her wing shot by a hunter in 1993, she has been unable to join her soul mate on his 5,000 mile migration from Eastern Europe to South Africa.
But that doesn’t stop Klepetan from coming back every year like clockwork to visit his injured mate in Slavonski Brod, Croatia.
The celebrity couple has raised more than 40 chicks in the 14 years that they’ve been together—and they’re even so beloved by village residents, that there’s a live feed of their reunion running every spring.
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Village school teacher Stjepan Vokic found Malena lying on her side in the road almost two decades ago, and he has always cared for her in Klepetan’s absence. Every winter, Malena is allowed to stay in the house with his family, while in the warmer seasons, she resides in a nest that Stjepan built on his roof.
Storks aren’t famous for their long-term mating practices, but they have been known to stay mostly monogamous if they find the right companion.
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Other males have tried to woo Malena in Klepetan’s absence, but she has always chased off the presumptuous birds so she can continue waiting for her one true love.
(WATCH the video of the amorous birds below)
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