Philippine Eagle spotted in Isabela forest

ILAGAN CITY, Philippines — A Philippine Eagle was recently spotted in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Dinapigue, Isabela.

The existence of the eagle highlighted the importance of preserving one of the country’s last remaining forest sanctuary, environmentalists said.

The raptor, measuring around three feet tall with a wingspan of about six feet, was seen perched on a tree during an eagle population and habitat monitoring activity conducted by the park  management and community environmentalists in May.

The sighting of the raptor occurred after days of fieldwork by wildlife monitoring teams in a remote area of the forest.

The provincial environment and natural resources office said the presence of the raptor indicated that Isabela’s ecosystem is healthy as Philippine Eagles thrive only in wide, undisturbed and biologically rich forests.

Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act prohibits the capturing, killing and trading of Philippine Eagles and their eggs or offspring. Violators face 12 years in prison and fines of up to P1 million.

Isabela Gov. Rodito Albano cited the tree- and bamboo-planting projects launched by the provincial government in 2019 and 2022, respectively, for the existence of the raptor in the area.

The projects, which involved planting one million each of trees and bamboos within a day, was intended to rehabilitate denuded lands, re-green the Northern Sierra Madre and mitigate flooding along the Cagayan River.

The existence of the eagle highlighted Isabela as a vital sanctuary for the country’s national bird, Albano said.