Alarm raised over capture of Phl eagles

DAVAO CITY, Philippines  – Conservationists warned the government of the continued attacks by poachers on endangered Philippine eagles after four birds were rescued from captivity in the past five months.

Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) executive director Dennis Salvador said that their group had retrieved four Philippine eagles since December 2010, one of the highest rates of retrievals since 2000.

The foundation said that since December it had rescued four of the one-meter birds, which are among the world’s largest raptors, suggesting conservation laws had not deterred trapping.

Salvador said two of rescued eagles have serious injuries while another bird eventually died due to fungal infection.

“The abuse and harm caused on Philippine eagles illustrate our reckless management of our natural resources. If the Philippine eagle, which is already perhaps the most prominent and recognizable of Philippine wildlife species, suffers a fate as grim as the above four eagles have experienced, how much more other species? What bigger injustices could possibly be happening to the rest of the Philippine environment?” Salvador explained.

The PEF called on the government and concerned law enforcement agencies to strictly enforce Wildlife Act 9147.

Salvador said crimes committed against nature have a much bigger impact than we can imagine, like the deforestation that caused landslides in Ginsaugon, Leyte.

“We condemn these acts of violence against nature and call on our fellow Filipinos to adopt more sustainable paths towards progress. Our economy is built on natural resources – the indiscriminate killing and plunder of these resources is not development. This will only bring us several steps backward,” Salvador added.

The PEF rescued a female Philippine eagle estimated to be about 5 to 6 years old in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte in December 2010. The eagle lost two of its three toes on the right foot.

Employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 11 turned over to PEF on Jan. 31, a one-year-old male Philippine eagle that originated from Sitio Biasong, Don Salvador in Mati, Davao Oriental.

PEF also retrieved a juvenile Philippine eagle from Sen. Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat after the bird was allegedly held in captivity for over a month.

The eagle was supposed to be released to the wild last April 4, but the bird died on April 24 from stress leading to multiple organ failure due to extensive fungal infection.

Residents of Sitio Biha, Barangay Tambobong in Davao City turned over to the PEF last April 19 a one-year-old eagle with only two primary feathers remaining on its right wing.

PEF spokesperson Tatit Quiblat said that eagles continue to be harmed and poached. “We have no doubt that the Sibuco eagle’s missing toes and the Tambobong eagle’s missing wing feathers were human inflicted injuries.

“Without the ability to grab prey or fly, the chances of survival in the wild for these eagles are practically zero,” Quiblat said.

Quiblat said the retrievals showed that the eagles were being taken away from their natural habitats.

“The best place for an eagle is still the forest. Many of the eagles we retrieved were reported or brought to us by individuals or groups who have good intentions for the birds. We appreciate their concern. However, this concern often translates to the incorrect thinking that we should ‘care’ for the eagle by taking it and keeping it in human care,” Quiblat added.

She said some people surrender captured Philippine eagles to the PEF or to the DENR thinking that they would get rewards.

“But they should understand that transporting of eagles from their natural habitats in the forests is not a profitable deed. It is not. What we want to reward is human action that ensure the eagles flourish in their natural habitats. We are extremely distressed about these events. We call on all local government units and the media to advise their constituency on the appropriate response when a Philippine eagle has been found,” Quiblat said.

She said that people should comply with Wildlife Act 9147 that prohibits the killing, collection, possession, and maltreatment of wildlife, their byproducts, and derivatives, as well as activities which threaten critical habitats such as dumping of waste, burning, logging, quarrying, and mineral exploration and extraction.

Quiblat said the public should report violations to the PEF and the DENR that are authorized to intervene and coordinate a rescue and retrieval operation if any Philippine eagle is in imminent danger.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said there are just 180-500 mature Philippine eagles in Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and Samar islands, with forest loss and poaching the main threats to their survival.

It said the captive breeding program had so far failed. The first released bird got electrocuted on a transmission line nine months after it was sent into the wild in 2004.

Another captive-bred eagle was killed by a hunter four months after being released in 2008.

The Philippine eagle is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.