In response to confusing speculation on various Social Media Platforms, and inaccurate reporting in some press articles, Black Eagle Project confirms the following:

• The male eagle (Thulane) was last seen by Project Monitors on Saturday 8^th June, and despite extensive searching and follow up on reports from the public, has never been found. Speculation has been rife, but the simple answer is that we do not know what happened to him.
• Photographic evidence on Wednesday 12^th June confirmed 2 eggs on the nest, Thursday 13th June confirmed the presence of a chick, and Wednesday 19^th June confirmed that the second egg as well as a second eaglet were not present.
• The female eagle (Makatsa) has been feeding the chick since the hatching, and has impressed all of us with her drive and tenacity. Prey continues to be brought in on a regular basis and she has also been bringing in green” sprays” to sanitise the nest. The chick which will be 42 days old on Thursday 25^th July, appears healthy, and the first of the juvenile plumage will be apparent from this stage onwards
• Should everything proceed normally, we can expect fledging between the middle and end of September
• The efforts of the Sugarbush Ridges Coalition and Volunteer Rangers in destroying hundreds of snares in the area over the past few months, has led to the habitat being more stable than it has been in many years. Consequently, there is sufficient prey around, and Makatsa does  not have to venture too far in pursuit of food
• In the afternoon on Saturday 13^th July, 2 adult eagles were seen flying in the Botanical Gardens which we confirm as being Makatsa and a new younger male bird
• As there is no previous published record of an adult Black Eagle changing her mate WHILE attending to a chick on the nest, we are in a new space right now. Public speculation abounded and it was widely thought that he would not accept the chick on the nest
• Various Raptor Specialists felt that it was possible that the female would continue raising the chick, and that her maternal instincts would make her protect it from any harm
• This appears to be the case at present, and we are curious to see what role the male will play in the next few months
• Although he has not yet been named, we have asked the Botanical Garden Staff to submit their suggestions to us and we will hopefully have a name by the end of this month
• The “Name the Chick“ competition will still go ahead via Northsider Newspaper where we invite the public to suggest a name as we have done over the past few years – this will however only happen around the end of August
• Habitat protection and stability remains the single most important factor in ensuring a healthy biodiversity – any donations to assist will be most welcome and can be deposited to:
  • Black Eagle Project – Roodekrans
  • First National Bank
  • Account no 62108581043
  • Branch Code 250655
• We would appreciate an emailed deposit slip to info@blackeagles.co.za so that we can acknowledge the support
• Black Eagles have been breeding in the Walter Sisulu Gardens since the 1940’s, and since the official formation of the Black Eagle Project in 1992, two adult birds have been replaced. Quatele disappeared in 1998 and was replaced by Thulane, and Emonyeni who disappeared in 2016 was replaced by Makatsa. The current situation will be the 3^rd record

We will continue to monitor and document the situation, and communicate as and when any developments

unfold

Silverstar Casino has been staunch supporters of our conservation efforts, and we are truly thankful for their continued support.

Even the eagles showed their appreciation when they gave a great flyby for the representors of Silverstar Casino amidst lots of cheers and awe.

A big thank you to Silverstar Casino.

We’ve had some interesting developments that occurred this year and would like to announce the beginning of a new, exciting Chapter for Black Eagle Project Roodekrans.

The 2016 breeding season started off in the normal way, with nest refurbishment, firstly by bringing dry branches and sticks to the nest, and progressing to lining the nest with green sprays to ensure a comfortable platform to lay and incubate the eggs.

However, as time went by, and no eggs were laid, we entered into period where speculations were the order of the day.

It was suggested that they could just be taking a gap year, which is a known fact amongst other eagle watchers. The aftermath of the severe drought experienced during our last rainy season was considered, and even the possibility of Emoyeni having become infertile due to her age.

We also noticed slight behavioural changes during this period. The fact that both male and female went on particularly long sorties, was unusual during this period, as the female would normally remain in close proximity of the nest prior to egg laying.

It was very interesting that one of the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans’ monitors spotted three adult Black Eagles in the immediate breeding area on Saturday 9 July 2016. There was no aggression witnessed between any of the Black Eagles on that day.

It is a known fact that it is extremely difficult to distinguish between different individuals of this species, and it was only when one of our official photographers noticed Thulane was accompanied by a new female, that we went into a deeper investigation.

This was indeed a great shock to all of us, but we have to accept that nature will take its own course and we as humans can only stand by and observe.

Emoyeni (Upon the Wind) has had a full life, reaching an age which is considered an achievement for a Black Eagle in the wild. She also raised many juveniles, with amazing breeding success over the time Black Eagle Project Roodekrans’ monitored her.

It is indeed sad that our most beloved Emoyeni is no longer in the immediate breeding area, but we are very grateful that Thulane managed to persuade a new young female to join him in what must be considered a very difficult environment.

Here follow a few photos of the new female taken by Ernest Porter

Black Eagle Project Roodekrans

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We are happy to inform you that Judge Victor has made an order in the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans favour and has ordered that the Developer be interdicted from commencing or continuing with the construction on the remainder of portion 2 . She has also interdicted them from transferring or alienating the properties pending the outcome of the review application.

It is noted that Judge Victor placed a lot of emphasis and was guided by the principles in section 2 of NEMA, especially the precautionary principle, as well as section 24 of NEMA. She also noted that case management is necessary in bringing the main review to finality. Application will be made to the Deputy Judge President who will assign a judge to assist with the management of the main review. This will involve the parties to the proceedings agreeing to timelines for the filing of any further affidavits, the preparation of heads of argument and dates for the hearing of the main review.

Judge Victor handed down the judgment orally as it was quite long and has informed us that the judgment will be typed out. We will forward a copy of the judgment as soon as we receive it.

Should you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards

Black Eagle Project Roodekrans

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On 24 November 2014 Silverstar, along with the help of generous patrons, again demonstrated a commitment to support the local environment by handing over cheque for R157 433.50 to the Black Eagle Project in Roodekrans.

The money handed over comes from guests visiting the Silverstar, andwho use the water feature with the Black Eagles sculpture in the main entrance, as a wishing well to throw in coins and spare change. Silverstar cleans out these coins regularly and matches the contribution before handing it over to the project.

This forms part of Silverstar’s annual donation which has contributed approximately R280 000 since it opened its doors in 2009.“We are honoured to be able to continuously support our community and our environment”, says Shane Collinson, Director of Operations and Complex General Manager at Silverstar.

When asked what the money will be used for, Gerald Draper, Chairperson of the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans said, “We will use the funds for educational purposes, promotional items, and to drive the advertising and branding of the project.A portion of the funds will also be used to upgrade our camera equipment, the entrance to the Gardens and to supply winter uniforms to our dedicated Monitoring team.”

“We would like to thank our patrons for joining us in our backing of the Black Eagles through their generous contributions.  We are delighted to be able to make this donation and support this wonderful project”,says Collinson.

In 2010, Silverstar Casino showed its commitment to further preserving the local environment by announcing that it was donating 10 hectors of land worth more than R6 million to the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens where the Black Eagles nest. When Silverstar was built, every effort was made to ensure that the area, especially the ridge, was not over-developed.  The Casino complex made this donation to preserve the Botanical Gardens as well as protect the hunting grounds of the Black Eagles who nest above the waterfall in the gardens.

Silverstar was built on sound environmental principles and the developers of both the original complex and the recent upgrades consulted with the Black Eagle Project throughout the planning and construction. Every effort has been made to ensure that the property will not pose a risk to the bird’s flight patterns or their natural habitat.

About Tsogo Sun

Tsogo Sun is the leading hotels, gaming and entertainment company in South Africa, providing a variety of hospitality and exciting entertainment and leisure experiences. Combining an established heritage with a professional and energised approach, the group proudly encompasses 14 casinos and over 90 hotels in South Africa, Africa, and the Seychelles.

The company’s hospitality interests offer a wide distribution of hotels in Africa, providing world-class accommodation across all markets, including elegant, individually branded luxury hotels and well-known trusted market leaders in the premier through budget segments, including Southern Sun Hotels, Garden Court, SunSquare, StayEasy and SUN1 hotels.

The exciting urban and resort casino portfolio includes the most popular entertainment destinations, strategically located throughout South Africa. In the Gauteng province, Tsogo Sun owns the group’s flagship property, Montecasino in Fourways, which features, amongst other attractions, the award-winning Teatro; Gold Reef City Casino and Theme Park in Southern Johannesburg; and Silverstar Casino to the West in Krugersdorp. Additional properties are owned and operated in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, including the jewel on Durban’s Golden Mile, Suncoast Casino, Hotels and Entertainment.

Tsogo Sun’s philosophy of sustainability has seen the group structuring its support of the communities in which it operates into three main pillars of investment. This includes Corporate Social Investment, whereby the group promotes the development of learners through three academies which offer holistic, full-year programmescentred around sport, art and education; Enterprise Development which focuses on skills-based entrepreneurial development through its Tsogo Sun Book a Guesthouse and Supplier Development programme; and Environmental Management, committed to initiatives that reduce the impact the business has on the environment.

Tsogo Sun (“TSH”) is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.  The key shareholders of Tsogo Sun are Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (“HCI”), a JSE listed investment holding company.

Tsogo Sun Gaming supports the National Responsible Gambling Programme. Winners know when to stop.  Only persons over the age of 18 are permitted to gamble. National Problem Gambling counselling toll-free helpline: 0800 006 008.

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