Barangay chairman gives rare eagle to La Union mayor

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Barely three days after a priest turned over to the La Union Botanical Garden here an endangered adult serpent eagle that was rescued in Abra province, a village chief also surrendered a sick rare eagle caught in the hinterlands of San Gabriel, in this province. 

The eagle, with scientific name spizaeutus philippensis, was malnourished and underweight when it was turned over yesterday by Renato Laquidan, chairman of Lipay Sur and president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in San Gabriel, to San Fernando Mayor Pablo Ortega, a known environmentalist. 

The eagle, with brown feathers and white-yellowish eyes, was turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for a two-week quarantine and treatment before it will be released to the Garden.

Ortega told The STAR that Laquidan took the eagle from a resident after noticing that the bird was sick.

“He (Laquidan) learned of the serpent eagle that was turned over to us by Fr. German Cabillo so he also saved the hawk-eagle and turned it over to me. We will release it later after treatment by the DENR,” Ortega said. 

The eagle’s long tail-feather was cut by its catcher to prevent it from fleeing and was put inside a small bamboo cage.

 “We can rarely find hawk-eagle in our country now because they are rare, seen only in vast forest areas. This eagle can be trained and is more harmless than the serpent eagle,” said Dr. Joey Zarate, ecosystem management  specialist.

The eagle’s wings measures 40 inches. It weighs only a kilo.