REPORTAGE. "In their nest it is peaceful, silent and calm" : in Ukraine, a pair of storks filmed 24 hours a day, as an antidote to the stress of war

In the Udaï valley, a two-hour drive from the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, we are in the middle of the countryside. In the village of Leliaky, in the Poltava region, a huge and perfectly round stork’s nest sits on top of an old electricity pylon. From below, we can just see a beak sticking out. A couple of wading birds have settled there and return every year, to the great joy of the Ukrainians.

“Is the beak red or black? If it’s red, that means it’s an adult.”explains Anatoly Podobaïlo, teacher at the zoology department at the University of kyiv and research director at the Pyryatynsky National Park. “Baby storks have black beaks. So either it’s the male, Hrytsyk, or it’s the female, Odarka”.

It was Anatoly who had the idea of ​​filming them 24 hours a day, via a webcam. It was set up in 2023, originally to discover the life of storks, many of which stop in the village on their migratory route. But with the war that took hold in the country, the initiative took another turn. “I definitely didn’t expect it,” confides the scientist who came to show us the nest on this rainy Friday at the end of May.

The white stork – “leleka” in Ukrainian – is a very strong popular and cultural symbol. It is associated with the home, peace and love of the native land.

“For Ukrainians, especially those who had to go abroad because of the conflict, it was very important to keep a link with a Ukrainian village.”

Anatoliy Podobaylo, teacher at the zoology department at Kiev University

à franceinfo

“The attendance of our Youtube channel especially exploded when the authorities put a link on the air alert map, précise Anatoly. Observing nature calms people, many say so in the comments. Because on the news channels, every day, at home, there’s shooting, there’s bombing, someone dies… Whereas in the nest, it’s peaceful, silent and calm.”

“But there are also real twists and turnslaughs the scientist. Infidelities, births, first flights… Following Leliaky’s storks is like a TV series. We were even told it looked like ‘Santa Barbara’.”

The village of Leliaky has fewer than 100 inhabitants, including Andriy, 83, who sees the waders every day. He is an absolute fan. “What Grytsko [diminutif de Hrytsyk]when he is hungry… He goes around to the neighbors. He knocks with his beak to say: ‘Give me something to eat!’ So we give him a little fish, a little meat…, says the octogenarian. They adapted very well. They are fine with us. Our village has become famous. Without them, we would be completely forgotten.”

It is the small village cheese factory, Lelyakivska, which finances the webcam. This brought him a few additional customers. “When they call us, they tell us: ‘You know, I follow you on the networks, I watch Grytsko. They always start by talking about it with enthusiasm, and then they order our products.’rejoices Natalia, the manager.

But the project primarily benefits the soldiers. Internet users who love storks donated 1 million hryvnias (20,000 euros) last year, entirely donated to the army.