White stork reintroduction programs include management of nest sites and chick welfare. Siblicide and starvation are natural but welfare-relevant events in stork nesting.
White stork reintroduction programs highlight the welfare tensions inherent in conservation management. Siblicide and starvation mortality are natural components of stork reproductive ecology - the larger chick's dominance ensures that at least one chick survives in lean food years. Conservation programs must decide whether to intervene in these natural processes: supplementary feeding can reduce starvation mortality but may artificially inflate population growth rates. The welfare of individual chicks dying of starvation is real, and the ethical response requires honest engagement with both conservation goals and individual animal welfare.