A family of storks has made it impossible to heat the police station in the commune of Călățele, Cluj County, with wood. The birds built their nest right on the building’s chimney, and the officers could no longer make a fire in the stove during the cold season because the law prohibits the destruction or relocation of nests without a strict procedure.
Until the legal procedures for relocating the nest are completed, which involves permits, expertise, and even a ministerial order, the police officers do not stay in the cold but currently use electric heaters.
Nest on the chimney, closed stove
ProTV reports that everything started last spring when a pair of storks settled on the police station building in Călățele and built their nest on the chimney. The protected species of birds had three chicks, and the nest remained on the chimney even after they left in the fall.
With the arrival of the cold weather, the police officers realized they could no longer use the stove.
"Later, when the cold came in October, November, of course, we noticed that we have this bird's nest on the police station, and we couldn't destroy it ourselves," explains the chief inspector of the Cluj County Police Inspectorate, Radu Adrian Moșuțan.
According to the law, destroying stork nests is a crime punishable by imprisonment from three months to one year or a criminal fine.
Approval from the Romanian Academy, then ministerial order
For the relocation of the nest, the Cluj County Police Inspectorate notified the environmental authorities, and the bureaucratic procedure began from there. The move cannot be done "on their own initiative" but only after obtaining all necessary approvals.
The procedure even involves approval from the Romanian Academy and, ultimately, an order signed by the Ministry of Environment. The operation must be carried out by specialized personnel under the supervision of the representatives of the county environmental department.
The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Environment, Raul Pop, stated that the procedure is in the transparency phase and probably has "about two weeks left, after which work can begin in the field."
Until the order is issued, the stove remains unused.
Electric heating and a touch of humor
Meanwhile, the police officers are not left in the cold. They carry out their activities using alternative sources of heat, based on electric energy.
Inspector Dan Omuțiu from the Huedin Section even made a joke about the situation. "It is said that the stork brings luck to people; I hope it applies in this case as well, and we must respect the law, of course," Omuțiu said.
To prevent a recurrence of the situation, the police officers have already received a metal support for the nest, which will be placed nearby so that the storks can build a new "home" upon their return from migration. According to the rules, the nest cannot be moved more than 100 meters from its original location.
NGOs: "Not routine work"
Environmental organizations emphasize that interventions on nests are not simple operations.
The Organization for Environmental Protection and Anti-Poaching (OPMCB) warns that it concerns a protected species, and "interventions on nests and breeding sites are not 'routine work.' Without procedure and expertise, such actions can lead to disturbance, abandonment, nesting failure, or inappropriate interventions."
In a Facebook post, the organization's representatives argue that preventing nesting and relocation must be done "with maximum responsibility and within the limits of the law, with well-founded solutions, not through improvisation."
Ornithology specialists also warn that the installation of nest supports must be coordinated with the local electrical network administrators.
Nearly 8,000 Nests in Romania
According to the latest data, there are nearly 8,000 stork nests in Romania, most of them located on electricity poles. Estimates show that between 9,700 and 12,600 pairs nest in the country.
Relocating a nest without following the procedure can attract not only criminal sanctions but also the risk of triggering European procedures for violating directives regarding species protection.