'Pag-asa' turns 20

DAVAO CITY ,Philippines  – Pag-asa, the first Philippine Eagle successfully hatched and bred in captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center in Barangay Malagos, this city, is turning 20 years old tomorrow.

Pag-asa is the first eagle produced by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) since it started its captive breeding program in the late 1980s.

The giant raptor is kept inside a special dome cage at the eagle center.

Pag-asa has become the most popular symbol of Philippine Eagle conservation efforts and captive breeding in the country.

Aside from Pag-asa, PEF has already bred and hatched 23 other eagles at the Malagos center.

Declared as the country’s national bird, the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is a giant forest raptor endemic to the Philippines and is considered one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world.

However, the Philippine Eagle is also one of the world’s rarest and certainly among the most critically endangered vertebrate species.

The existing population of the giant raptor is placed at a little over 500 pairs, including those in the wild.

Several activities have been slated for tomorrow’s celebration of Pag-asa’s hatchday.

The PEF has set tomorrow as Family Day at the Malagos eagle center to mark Pag-asa’s birthday.