If only a Walt Disney movie would be made on Philippine eagle and the bird could talk, this would be his pleading:
“I have watched forests disappear, rivers dry up, floods ravage the soil, droughts spawn uncontrolled fires, hundreds of my forest friends vanish forever and men leave the land because it was no longer productive. I am witness to the earth becoming arid. I know all life will eventually suffer and die if this onslaught continues. I am a storyteller, and I want you to listen before it’s too late.”
Yes, the Philippine eagle is fast disappearing. In the list of 100 most endangered birds in the world, the Philippine eagle (known in the science world as Pithecophaga jefferyi”) is included in the list.
“We… found that if we prioritize threatened birds by their distinctness, we actually preserve very close to the maximum possible amount of evolution,” said Arne Mooers, a member of the team and a biologist from Simon Fraser University in Canada.
The Philippine eagle was ranked No. 8 in the list. “This is truly a dubious distinction for our national bird,” commented Dennis Joseph Ilustre Salvador, the executive director of the Davao-based Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).
Just as the PEF was busy preparing for its 38th anniversary, a new eaglet was born last January 16.
“Riley’s arrival is a symbol of hope and a reminder of the importance of unity in protecting our natural heritage. Together, we are making a lasting impact,” PEF wrote in a Facebook post to mark their 38th anniversary.
Riley is the 31st chick breed by PEF. Its hatching is said to be first-ever documented unassisted natural hatching. “(It is) a true testament to the resilience and strength of our conservation efforts,” it said.
According to PEF, Riley is the offspring of two eagles named Sinag and Dakila. The Eagle Cement Corporation is adopting Riley. “(This reinforces) our shared commitment to preserving these magnificent creatures for future generations,” the foundation said.
The Philippine eagle – described by famed American aviator Charles Lindbergh as “the world’s noblest flier” – was declared by then President Fidel V. Ramos as national bird (thereby dislodging maya as such).
The Philippine eagle is second only to the Madagascar sea eagle in rarity. In size, it beats the American bald eagle; it is the world’s second biggest after the Harpy eagle of Central and South America.
The bird icon was being collected in the country as early as 1703, but it was not until 1896 that it was “discovered” in Samar by the English naturalist, John Whitehead, who called it the “Great Philippine eagle.”
Unlike most animals and humans, Philippine eagles are monogamous and bond for life. Once an eagle reaches sexual maturity – at around five years for females and seven years for males – it is bound for life with its mate. They can be seen soaring in pairs in the skies.
Efforts to save the Philippine eagle were started in 1965 by Jesus A. Alvarez, then director of the autonomous Parks and Wildlife Office, and Dioscoro S. Rabor, another founding father of Philippine conservation effort.
One of the main reasons why the number of Philippine eagles is dwindling is due to the current status of the country’s forest cover.
“The Philippine eagle has become a critically endangered species because the loss of the forest has made it lose its natural habitat,” Salvador said, adding that a pair of Philippine eagles needs at least 7,000 to 13,000 hectares of forest as a nesting territory.
Unfortunately, the country’s remaining forests can only support an average of 392 pairs of Philippine eagles. “That’s the average,” Dr. Jayson C. Ibanez, director of PEF’s research and conservation division, said in a text message. “The maximum number of pairs that the sustainable predicted suitable forest habitat can possibly contain is 447 pairs.”
Ibanez, however, explained that this number is the upper limit based on the modeling study they did. In reality, there could be substantially fewer pairs, which doesn’t mean the forests already have this number of eagle pairs “because some of these suitable habitats might have already lost their eagles.”
He cited the forests in Leyte, Zambales, and Mount Banahaw as examples. “We think (these places) might have already lost their eagles although the forests seem to be still in good quality shape still,” he pointed out.
In the past, the Philippine eagles were threatened by hunting. “At least one Philippine eagle is killed every year because of shooting,” the PEF said.
Another one is diseases. A retrospective study was conducted from 1970 to 2006 to identify the causes of mortality of the birds admitted from the wild and those hatched in captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center.
According to the study, the cause of death for the majority of wild-caught birds were infectious disease (25%), metabolic and nutritional disease (16.7%), trauma (11.1%) and neoplasia (2.8%). About 44.4% were unknown.
Causes of mortality for captive-bred eagles were identified as congenital anomaly, metabolic disease, pneumonia, and electrocution.
Every year, from June 4 to June 10, the country celebrates Philippine Eagle Week by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 79, series of 1999.
