16 Aug 2014 | By Sun International
Sun City’s Famous Blue Cranes
All about Sun City’s beloved Blue Cranes
Many visitors to Sun City, South Africa’s leading family resort have met Figaro. The tall, long-necked Blue Crane has been wandering around the Sun City complex for years, attracting plenty of interest. While South Africa is the only country in the world where you can see Blue Cranes in their natural environment, the species is classified as vulnerable, and population numbers are dwindling.
In an effort to participate in the conservation of South Africa’s national bird, Sun International decided to acquire a mate for Figaro.
The lucky lady
After a lengthy search, an ideal candidate was discovered in the wild landscapes of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Like Figaro, she hadn’t bonded with a mate. Blue Cranes are known to mate for life and display (sometimes aggressive) monogamous tendencies.
But importing an endangered species – even from one province to another – requires no small amount of effort (and paperwork)!
The permits
Both the SPCA and the North West Province Department of Environmental Affairs and Nature Conservation performed site inspections. Blue Cranes are naturally found in open grasslands and shallow wetlands, and Sun City, with its acres of pristine surroundings, got an almost-immediate nod of approval.
Once the Eastern Cape Nature Conservation authority had approved the export permit, Figaro’s mate was readied for travel to her new home.
Boy meets girl
In preparation for his mate’s arrival, Figaro had been placed in a special holding camp to establish his territory and become familiar with his new surroundings. His lady was enclosed in a separate section of this camp to avoid mishaps: males can often display aggression towards newcomers in their territory.
After a period of two weeks, the courting cranes were allowed to interact with each other during the day, but remained separated at night. Within the first month, when it was clear that Figaro was in love, the two enclosures were opened indefinitely.
Blue Cranes display a wonderful courtship dance, which comprises of the two individuals jumping up and down with their wings extended, and flinging various objects into the air. Figaro and his lady love have a definite bond: he follows her everywhere she goes. There’s a strong chance they’ll settle down together quickly and produce offspring within the next few years.
Ambassadors
The Blue Crane is very important to South Africa, and is even featured on the 5-cent coin. Due to habitat destruction, poisoning, illegal trade, power line collisions, persecution by landowners, and many other threats, their numbers are dropping. A concerted effort to breed these special creatures in captivity will ensure their ongoing survival.
Figaro and his princess have found a happy and safe home at the Sun City Animal World and will act as ambassadors for their species, educating children and creating awareness.
Fun facts about Blue Cranes
The Blue Crane is also known as the Paradise Crane or the Stanley Crane, and is a symbol of peace and resolution.
The Blue Crane is near-endemic to South Africa, with a small population of about 60-80 birds occurring around the Etosha Pans in Namibia, and a few isolated birds in Botswana and Swaziland.
The Xhosas, a Bantu ethnic group of South Africa, believed that if you killed a Blue Crane, a member of your family would die. When a tribesman distinguished himself with deeds of valour, the tribe’s chief would present him with the feathers of this bird in a special ceremony. Men honoured with the feathers wore them sticking out of their hair, and became known as “men of trouble”, meaning that if trouble arose, these brave men would reinstate peace and order.