After cat "tear"

Corncrake rescued: Successful release into the wild!

This little corncrake was the only surviving chick of its brood to be nursed back to health in Graz.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe, Kleine Wildtiere in großer Not)

"The drama ended well for the young bird", says Hartwig Pfeifhofer from BirdLife. After a cat injured the little corncrake, animal welfare activists saved the life of the extremely rare bird. The animal was nursed back to health and recently released into the wild.

The drama began in early summer: four of five corncrake chicks were killed by a cat in St. Ruprecht an der Raab in eastern Styria. The surviving chick, which was relatively unharmed, was brought to the Graz-based association "Kleine Wildtiere in großer Not" by the cat's owner.

The animal has developed well, the animal welfare activists have done a great job.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Wildtiere in Not/Pfeifhofer/Samwald)

"Can be fed"
"It can be fed and is enjoying better health every day," said employee Anna Gmeiner in June. Just a few weeks later, the animal was returned to the wild: "My colleague Sebastian Zinko and I picked up the corncrake one summer evening and brought it to Großwilfersdorf. Shortly after 7 p.m., we released it into the wild there on the S7 compensation area," says Hartwig Pfeifhofer from BirdLife.