Anyone who has been to the Dullstroom Bird of Prey Centre will almost certainly have noticed Rosie. She is the noisy one always jumping around from side to side. Another interesting fact about Rosie is her age – she was born in 1984 and is therefore over 40 years of age, making her one of the oldest eagles in the world.
She is a Tawny Eagle, which was once among the planet’s most dominant apex predators, with a range that stretched from Asia to Africa. However, due to numerous factors, Tawny Eagles are now in big trouble. Loss of nesting habitat due to logging and farming, as well as carcass poisoning are pushing this iconic eagle to the brink of extinction.
Barometer for ecosystem health
Like the Big 10, the Tawny Eagle serves as a vital barometer for the health of ecosystems across Africa and Asia. They have a varied diet that includes small mammals such as rodents and hares, birds (up to the size of guinea fowl), reptiles, amphibians, and even large insects such as termites.
They also regularly eat fresh carrion – unfortunately this makes them vulnerable to carcass poisoning which is a growing problem, especially in Africa. Farmers and poachers often deliberately poison carcasses in order to kill predators such as jackals and hyenas in one of the most cruel and unnecessary practices that exists in the world today.
Global wealth intelligence firm, New World Wealth, has been tracking the movements and spending habits of the world’s wealthiest people. This includes having the means to view tawny eagles in their natural habitat, some which are open to the public.
As a follow up to their Africa Wealth Report, New World Wealth have picked the top luxury lodges in Africa for 2025. They include:
Top lodges for the wealthy in Africa
- Gorilla Forest Lodge – Uganda
- Nyungwe House – Rwanda
- Xigera – Botswana
- Chiefs Camp – Botswana
- Cottars 1920s Camp – Kenya
- Bateleur Camp – Kenya
- Klein’s Camp – Tanzania
- Sasakwa Lodge – Tanzania
- Sabora Tented Camp – Tanzania
Note: New World Wealth’s top picks score strongly when it comes to popularity among high-net-worth individuals, as well as location, views and scenery.
The importance of rainforest lodges
Rainforest lodges such as Gorilla Forest Lodge and Nyungwe House represent the next frontier in eco-tourism. They are key to preserving the world’s remaining rainforests and jungle habitats. Crucially, these lodges allow locals to get well-paying jobs through eco-tourism and therefore create a long-term economic incentive to protect these rainforests.
Notably, if one reviews the countries with the highest number of bird species globally, rainforest countries such as Colombia, Brazil and the DRC dominate the list. Smaller countries with rainforests such as Rwanda, Costa Rica and Uganda also punch well above their weight when it comes to bird counts. This shows the massive biodiversity that exists in these forests.
Another critical sector in rainforest conservation is bird tours. Notable top-end bird tour operators include: Manakin Nature Tours, Rockjumper and Nature Travel Birding.
Pictures: Tawny Eagle Rosie at the Dullstroom Bird of Prey Centre. This special organization is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing raptors – while also educating the public about their importance.
