Free at last

"Soar high!" or "Mow-wit od layang!" in Manobo. This was perhaps what many said in silence – so as not to disturb the Philippine eagle – when they witnessed last April 22 the release of the 4.05 kg. Kabayan, the first ever Philippine eagle to be bred in captivity. Kabayan emerged tentatively from its hack box or temporary cage made of cyclone wire, as if trying to have a feel of his real home, the wild of Mt. Apo. It had lived for a year and five months in the simulated forest of Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Davao City.

This experimental release project for Kabayan, held at the PNOC Geothermal Production Field in Mt. Apo, Kidapawan, North Cotabato, will surely stress for the next generation the importance of the conservation of nature. It will also emphasize the importance of the Philippine eagle on our cultural heritage.

The undertaking is the result of the orchestrated efforts of non-government organizations, government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Energy, concerned communities and individuals. Playing a major role in this undertaking is the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and its Philippine Eagle Center, both located in Davao City.

The non-profit PEF is dedicated to saving the Philippine eagle and the latter’s habitat. PEF was organized in 1987 as a project primarily to rehabilitate, do research and breed in captivity the top predator of Philippine forests and wild.

This initiative has been aimed at promoting the survival of Philippine eagles. It consequently hopes to improve the state of our environment and the quality of life in the Philippines.

Implementing the mission and rationale of the foundation are the foundation’s biologists who keep track of every detail and the behavioral improvement of the eagles housed in the cages of the center.

"There are two in-house biologists in the center," said 26-year-old Ana Mae Sumaya, a biologist and graduate of the University of Southeastern Philippines. "Aside from me, the other is the center’s deputy director for captive breeding, Domingo Tadela. There are also biologists for field research who are assigned to watch eagles in the wild. They do surveys in the communities and monitor the eagles." Ana Mae was this writer’s knowledgeable tour guide when I visited the center the day before Kabayan was released.

"Most of our eagles here are donated to us from the wild," continued Ana Mae. "Others were found shot and wounded and brought here to be rehabilitated. Other eagles were donated by those who bought them from their captors (usually the locals). Some were also turned over by the local community or government."

She added that donated/captive eagles are classified based on the damage they incurred in the wild. Some eagles were severely shot. Others died upon reaching the center. When the eagles are healthy and fit and have mates, the center returns them to the wild. If the eagles show potential for breeding, the center keeps them for further study.

The 8.4-hectare center, which also has a building for exhibition, film showing and lectures for students and visitors, simulates the Philippine wild and forest. This needs to be so for the eagles to feel and think they are still in the wild.

"The center has crocodiles, monkeys, musangs, wild boars, lizards, owls, deers, snakes and other preys of eagles," Ana Mae related. "These are animals one commonly sees in the environment of a Philippine eagle. Seeing these animals, the eagles will believe that they are still in their natural habitat."

Besides wild animals, the center has assorted flora and a watershed which also prepares the eagle psychologically for the wild.

Ana Mae added, "The center is not only for the eagles’ rehabilitation and breeding but also for research. Here, we study their behavior and decode or interpret it for future study."

"Our eagles are territorial," elaborated Ana Mae, who is also in charge of incubation, hatching and breeding of the Philippine eagles and other species found in the center. "The animal’s mindset is: ‘If this is my place, this is really mine. Kapag nag-squat ka dito, hahabulin kita palabas.’ "

The breeding of Philippine eagles starts from September and lasts until February. It takes about a month for an eagle to lay an egg after breeding.

Records show that the life span of an eagle in captivity ranges from 45 to 60 years. However, in the wild, the life span is shorter because eagles are vulnerable to hunting and logging which affect their survival in the wild.

"If the eagles’ area is logged, they don’t go away," says Ana Mae. "They stay in the area which makes them prone to hunters. They eventually get caught and killed. They are loyal to their place."

This situation critically endangers the Philippine eagle.

"They only lay egg in every two years," says Ana Mae. "The incubation of their egg is from 56 to 60 days. Sinisiguro nila na mag-hatch yun. In captivity it is 56 to 58 days."

With the alarming rate of loss of eagles, the center does double clutching. "If the female eagle lays an egg, especially if it’s still early, kinukuha na namin agad," says Ana Mae. "So the female eagle will be induced to lay again."

"Eagles are very Filipino," Ana Mae pointed out. "They are loyal and all survivors. They have a good way of family planning. The eagles won’t breed again until their eaglet can hunt and live alone."

Kabayan’s release was witnessed by top PNOC EDC officials like president Paul Aquino; Philippine Eagle Foundation president Carlos Pedrosa; executive director Dennis Salvador; Cotabato Province Gov. Emmanuel Piñol; Energy Secretary Vincent Perez Jr.; Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozum; Arlene de Castro (representing her husband, vice presidential bet Noli de Castro); and presidential daughter Luli Arroyo (representing her mom, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo).

After the unveiling of the Philippine eagle marker, a tribal ritual called pamaas, which was led by Datu Simeon Serrano, followed. Here, the Manobos asked those present to take a bite of the nganga, and the guests released two white chickens in the air. This act was one way of asking for blessings among the katutubo.

Everyone then proceeded to the area where Kabayan stood inside a makeshift cage. There was a camouflaged part of the area with peepholes where one could take a look at the eagle.

According to Carlos Pedrosa, the top man of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, "Kabayan is ready to be set free in the wild. For the last three weeks of his stay here, he seems to have adapted to the environment. His feathers have improved beautifully. He has showed flying skills by jumping from one place to another."

PEF field biologist Camille Concepcion said that at 11:01 a.m., the door of the hack box (hack or hacking means "soft release") was opened. Kabayan stayed quite a while inside the hack box, jumping from one spot to another. At 11:26 a.m., Kabayan finally emerged from the cage and was ready to soar in the sky. When it did so after 25 minutes, all were happy and relieved.

If there’s anything Kabayan’s release could mean, it would be that the richness of Philippine biodiversity is still very much alive.

(For inquiries and donations, please call The Philippine Eagle Foundation at VAL Learning Village, Ruby St., Marfori Heights, Davao City; tel. no. (082) 224-3021 or 22, or e-mail [email protected].)