Uznach council softens plan to halve stork population

Uznach’s municipal council has softened its proposal to halve the town’s stork population within four years after facing criticism, SRF reports.

The council had called for changes to St Gallen’s revised hunting law to allow the population to be controlled. It argued that if beavers and wolves can be regulated, storks should be too.

About 50 pairs nested on rooftops and chimneys in Uznach this spring. Almost all of the more than 100 young storks survived the good weather, although many have since migrated south. Residents and the municipality have complained that droppings make chimneys, solar installations, benches, parking spaces, roads, pavements and cars dirty. The council also said the birds were depleting nature and moorland reserves.

Bruno Bachmann, president of the Uznach Stork Association, said he learned about the proposal from the media and criticised the council for not informing the association, which helps remove the droppings. Residents expressed differing views, with some calling for the population to be controlled and others saying they valued the birds.

The municipality cannot decide the matter on its own. Stork protection is governed by the federal government, while cantons are responsible for enforcement. Dominik Thiel, head of the St Gallen Office for Nature, Hunting and Fishing, said the canton could not make a decision on the issue and that only the federal government could.

Uznach mayor Diego Forrer said the municipality had not communicated well with the association. He described halving the population as a strong statement and said keeping numbers stable, or having 20 fewer storks, would also be acceptable. He plans to meet with the association to look for solutions. Bachmann said he believes the population will regulate itself naturally.