Only the fittest survive
POORTVIEW – Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens welcomes the newest member of its family – a two week old Black Eagle chick.
The Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden’s two most famous inhabitants, the Black Eagle couple, welcomed an eaglet into the world on 26 May.
Spokesperson at the gardens, Ronny Tshabalala said, “The grand old lady laid her clutch of eggs (two) on 11 and 15 April, and it seemed a bit early until we looked into their breeding history and the exact dates cropped up three times in the last ten years.”
He continued and explained that the first eaglet hatched on 26 May and the second one on 29 May and that is when the process of cainism occured.
“Cainism can also be described as sibling aggression which is also referred to as ‘survival of the fittest’, and this onslaught arises immediately after the second egg hatches. Such a fight can last for up to three days and the adult eagles do not interfere during the process of elimination,” added Tshabalala.
He concluded that the chick will now stay with his parents until he will be strong enough to leave the nest and fledge in September.
Details: www.sanbi.org/gardens/walter-sisulu/walter-sisulu-nbg-visitor-information
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A successful Black Eagle hatch at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens
