Philippine eagle Pag-asa, a conservation icon, dies

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine eagle Pag-asa, the first to be successfully bred and hatched in captivity, passed away due to infections known to be fatal for raptors.

Pag-asa died on January 6, Wednesday, the Philippine Eagle Foundation announced. The eagle succumbed to infections associated with trichomoniasis and aspergillosis.

He would have turned 29 next week.

Born on Jan. 15, 1992, Pag-asa’s hatchday was a monumental event as it spurred conservation breeding efforts for his species, which is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, PEF said.

“He will forever remain as our conservation icon and a symbol of hope for his species and the Filipino people. Pag-asa may be gone too soon but his legacy lives on,” the foundation said.

In 2013, Pag-asa had its first and only offspring: Mabuhay. It was also bred and hatched through cooperative artificial insemination technique.

According to PEF, the Philippine Eagle is among the largest and most powerful among forest raptors and can only been seen in the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao.

But only 400 pairs are estimated to be left in the wild due to hunting and habitat loss caused by deforestation.

The Philippine eagle was declared the country’s national bird in 1995.