Text and photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
On September 7, 36-year-old Bernie Apal and two companions were on their way to the barangay hall of Sibulan in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur to get residence certificates. They tried to follow the short-cut way instead of the usual road going to the place.
The area was covered with trees as it was located in the foothills of Mount Apo, the country’s highest peak. The three were talking while walking when Apal saw a bird that was entangled in tree-roots and was wrapped with perennial vine. Even though the bird was in a cliff, Apal decided to rescue it.
Apal, a Bagobo-Tagabawa farmer, thought the bird was dying as it was unresponsive and scrawny. The bird’s left eye was also injured as a result of trying to escape from the vine. It was assumed the bird was hunting for food when it got itself strapped in the perennial vines that grow near the roots of trees.
Apal had to walk for three hours to reach the barangay hall; he immediately turned over the bird to the authorities. The barangay captain contacted Hedcor, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power which operates a run-of-river hydropower plant in the area, and asked to do something to save the bird.
Hedcor immediately brought the bird — which was identified later on as a Pinsker’s hawk-eagle — to the Malagos Garden Resort, where Dr. Roberto “Bo” Puentespina Jr. has a sanctuary for rescued birds.
When Dr. Bo saw the bird, he was hesitant at first. The survival was slim at the bird was suffering from dehydration and starvation. “People who want to rescue birds must give them water every now and then,” he suggested.
In order for the birds not be restless during the travel, Dr. Puentespina suggested that the eyes be covered perhaps with a clean sock. Also, the birds must be wrapped to keep their wings from moving.
Dr. Bo nursed the hawk-eagle back to health and provided vitamins and medication. When it was brought in for treatment, the eagle’s weight was only 500 grams. A month later, it gained 300 grams more. “The only thing I did to help the eagle was to give it my tender loving care,” he said.
After 37 days of intensive care, the hawk-eagle — which was given the name “Mabikker,” a Bagobo-Tagabawa term for “strength and power” — was released in the area where it was rescued.
Among the criteria identified before the hawk-eagle was release were good body condition and the ability to fly. In addition, the injured eye had already fully recovered. When all these considerations were met, the hawk-eagle soared back again to its original habitat.
“I am very happy that the bird will go back to the forest again,” said Apal, adding that other people must do the same to protect the remaining natural species which God has given to Filipinos.
Threatened birds
Birdlife International has identified 604 bird species found in the country — that’s 6% of the world’s total number of known birds. A third of the bird species are endemic or can only be found in the Philippines.
In its latest State of the World’s Birds report, Birdlife International singled out the Philippines as one of the four countries in Asia as with the highest numbers of globally threatened birds (the other three are Indonesia, China and India).
The State of Philippine Birds, published by Haribon Foundation, estimated some 50% of the country’s bird species are experiencing decreasing population trend, compared to 35% that had stable populations.
Aside from Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jeffreyi), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also listed these two Philippine birds as endangered species: Blue-naped parrot (Tanygnathus lucionesis) and Rufous hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax).
The Pinsker’s hawk-eagle is considered a threatened species. Also listed by IUCN as threatened species are Bagobo babbler, black-faced spoonbill, blue-breasted flycatcher, blue-caped kingfisher, Cebu black shama, celestial blue monarch, Chinese egret, grey imperial pigeon, Japanese bittern, Japanese yellow bunting, long-billed creeper, Luzon wren-babbler, Mindanao parrotfinch, Mindoro bleeding heart pigeon, Negros fruit dove, Negros bleeding heart pigeon, Negros tree babbler, nicobar pigeon, Philippine water redstart, short-crested monarch, spot-billed Pelican, Sulu bleeding heart pigeon, Sulu hornbill and white-throated jungle flycatcher.
In Benguet, a news report said two rare forest birds in the country’s second highest peak, Mount Pulag, are facing extinction. These are whiskered pitta (Pitta koctri) and Luzon water-redstart (Rhyacomis bicolor).
Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia) is another bird that is on the verge of extinction. Most of the remaining birds of this kind can be found on Rasa, a tiny island just off Palawan where a coal power plant is soon to be built.
A species is considered extinct when it is no longer found in the past 50 years. Endangered species are those that have been reduced in number to a critical level or whose habitats have been damaged or altered or reduced.
Rare species have small world populations. Usually, they are restricted to very few habitats. A present, rare species are not considered but at risk. Threatened is a general term used to describe bird species which could be in the status of “endangered” and “insufficiently unknown.”
“About 260 Philippine cockatoos live on Rasa Island, making it the largest population in the wild,” said the Rainforest Rescue Organization. “Only 30 years ago, the birds inhabited virtually the entire Philippines. Today, the IUCN categorizes them as critically endangered. Only an estimated 1,000 birds still live in the wild.”
Birds, whatever species, must be saved from oblivion. “Once these species are gone, they are gone forever, leaving behind an imbalance in ecology and beauty difficult to determine and restore,” said a Filipino environmentalist. (TO BE CONTINUED)
