‘Journey of Death’, a stork’s final flight ends on Kuwait’s shores
Environmental activist documents the bird’s last moments, reflecting on nature’s cycle of life and death
- Shortly after the stork’s death, a group of eagles began circling above it, and by the following day, it had been devoured — a vivid reminder, he said, that “death becomes new life for another creature, and the cycle of nature continues in its purest form.”
Environmental activist Shatti Al-Shatti documented the poignant final moments of a migratory stork that collapsed and died on Kuwait’s shores after traveling tens of thousands of kilometers in a desperate bid to escape the northern cold and reach the warmth of Africa — a journey he described as a “journey of death.”
Speaking to Al-Rai, Al-Shatti recounted the scene he witnessed, saying, “The stork was alone on the beach, teetering between life and death. It looked very tired, trying to raise its wings again, but the wind no longer obeyed it, and its body was too weak to fly.”
Using a drone, Al-Shatti captured what he called “moving moments that summarize the course of a whole life.” He described, “The bird tried to rise one last time, then gradually fell until it collapsed to the ground, as if the earth embraced it gently to grant it final rest.”
Reflecting on the emotional impact, he said, “It breathed its last in front of me, and it was a difficult and emotional moment. It wasn’t just a shot for me; it made me think about how short life is, and how often we exhaust ourselves in struggles that are not worth it.”
Al-Shatti explained that shortly after the stork’s death, a group of eagles began circling above it, and by the following day, it had been devoured — a vivid reminder, he said, that “death becomes new life for another creature, and the cycle of nature continues in its purest form.”
