Visitors, both foreigners and locals, who come to Davao City for the first time almost always include the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Calinan District as one of their itineraries. Some 30 kilometers northwest and about an hour’s drive from downtown Davao, the center is home of the endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).
The center is managed by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), the prime mover in eagle conservation, breeding, rehabilitation and education in the country. About 35 eagles can be found at the center.
“The great Philippine eagle is not only our flagship species for wildlife conservation but also the best indicator of the forest ecosystem’s health,” said Dennis Joseph I. Salvador, the PEF’s executive director.
A pair of Philippine eagles need 7,000 to 13,000 hectares of rainforests to survive, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
In the past, Philippine eagles abound in the forests of Mount Apo and other parts of Mindanao. They can also be seen flying over in the forests of Sierra Madre in Luzon and Samar and Leyte in the Visayas.
Today, Philippine eagles inhab it those places but their number has dwindled. In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has declared the Philippine eagle as “critically endangered species.”
The Philippine eagle was ranked No. 8 in the list of the world’s most endangered birds, according to Current Biology. “This is truly a dubious distinction for our national bird,” Salvador commented.
In a feature which was carried by “Scientific American,” the country’s bird icon is described as such: “With its shaggy bronze mane and proud white chest, the Philippine eagle is about as majestic as a bird can get. Capable of growing to more than a meter long and 8 kilograms in weight, this stunning creature is the largest eagle in the world, in terms of length.”
On why the Philippine eagle is nearing extinction, the publication surmised: “One of the big hurdles in conserving the Philippine eagle is that each breeding pair requires a range up to 40 square kilometers to adequately feed and rear their offspring, which makes it particularly vulnerable to deforestation.”
This is the reason why the efforts of PEF should be supported by Filipinos. A private, non-profit, non-stock organization, it is dedicated to saving the endangered bird. “The Philippine eagle is the largest predator we have,” Salvador said. “By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat.”
According to Salvador, PEF is committed to promote the survival of the Philippine eagle, “the biodiversity it represents, and the sustainable use of our forest resources for future generations to enjoy.”
The Philippine eagle is found nowhere except in the country. “The Philippine eagle represents a rare product of evolutionary creation,” PEF said in its website. “Based on recent genetic studies, it has no close relatives left among the living species of eagles in the world.”
PEF came into existence in 1979 after the founders of Films and Research for an Endangered Environment (FREE) left the country. FREE was established by Peace Corps volunteer Robert S. Kennedy and Vaughn and Lorenne Rundquist. When they returned to the United States, they created PEF to continue the work they have started.
Primarily a research facility, the Philippine Eagle Center is nestled at the rolling foothills of Mount Apo, the country’s highest peak. Its work, however, is divided into two components: in situ and ex situ conservation. In situ is the raising of birds in its original habitat while ex situ is the method of propagating the species in captivity.
PEF has now more than three decades of experience in the development of technologies for the captive propagation of Philippine eagle. These include infrastructure design, breeding techniques, incubation and hatching procedures, and the assessment of health and nutrition requirements.
The foundation has also field operations program involving two components: field research and community-based resources management. Research activities include habitat assessment, prey counts, monitoring of nests in the wild, verification of eagle sightings and retrieval operations.
“All these are geared towards protecting wild populations and mitigating the impacts of human activities,” Salvador explained, adding that more studies are still needed to effectively manage wild eagle populations.
PEF also has worked closely with the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), a line agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Both agencies are working in tandem on captive breeding “to promote a greater understanding of the eagles’ biology, food habits and survival.”
This collaborative effort has open opportunities for research on eagle breeding behaviors “that will substantially increase our understanding of their ecology and biology,” said the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) in its website.
In 1988, PEF opened its facility to the public as an education center. “The eagle center is probably the biggest tool we have in educating the people,” Salvador said. “The facility enables us to bring the Philippine eagle and other wildlife closer to our people.”
According to Salvador, most of those who visit the eagle center never had the opportunity to see the forest and the animals that live in the forest.
“The eagle center provides our visitors and guests with a small glimpse of that world, a world which they have increasingly become detached from. We make good use of this opportunity to let them know how the forest relates to their own lives – even if they live so far away from it,” Salvador said.
Christy Ullrich, in an article which appeared in National Geographic, reported that several steps are currently going in the country to save the Philippine eagle from oblivion. “Certain conservation measures are already in place to help protect the comparatively scant number of surviving eagles. Legislation has been passed to prohibit hunting and protect nests, as well as to survey the birds’ habitat, create public-awareness campaigns, and step up captive breeding.”
But the biggest threat – deforestation – continues. “Habitat loss – due to destruction, fragmentation or degradation of habitat – is the primary threat to the survival of our wildlife,” the BMB pointed out. “When an ecosystem has been dramatically changed by human activities – such as agriculture, oil and gas exploration, commercial development or water diversion – it may no longer be able to provide the food, water, cover, and places to raise their young.
“Every day, there are fewer places left that wildlife can call home,” it added. — (To be concluded)
