First of two parts
ON June 1 a juvenile Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) was rescued within a protected area in Aurora, a province in the eastern part of Central Luzon.
Incidentally, the rescue took place days before the 18th year celebration of the Philippine Eagle Week, which is being annually observed from June 4 to 10 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 79.
This year’s theme, “Saving Eagles, Protecting Forests, Securing Our Future,” underscored anew the need to protect the forest, the home to the Philippine Eagle and other wildlife.
Also known as the “monkey-eating Eagle,” the Philippine Eagle is the largest of all birds of prey in the world and has been declared as a national symbol. On July 4, 1995, it was declared by then-President Fidel V. Ramos as the national bird of the Philippines.
Critically endangered
The Philippine eagle, however, is currently on the list of “Critically Endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This means it is still in the brink of extinction.
The number of the Philippine Eagles in the wild remains unknown. Experts believe the number has rapidly decreased along with the country’s vast forest cover. This is aggravated by the fact that hunting, for food and trophy, and illegal wildlife trade, continues to be a major problem.
Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said slightly over around 400 pairs of the rare eagles are left in the wild.
“Not more than 500 pairs are left in the wild. That is just an estimate. We are expanding our monitoring in search of nesting sites as part of our ongoing program to protect them in the wild,” she said.
Lim said the rescued eagle from Aurora would be released back into the wild as soon as the DENR-BMB’s veterinarian completes the screening.
The eagle, she said, is “old enough” and may have already imprinted in the area where it was caught.
“We just have to identify the exact area for its release,” Lim said.
Hunting: A serious threat
Hunting remains as one of the most serious threats to the existence of the Philippine Eagle, even in protected areas where they are supposed to be protected against hunters.
According to DENR officials in Central Luzon, the rescued juvenile eagle was caught in a snare, locally called silo, set up by local hunters within the Aurora Memorial National Park (AMNP), believed to be home to at least a pair of the Philippine Eagle.
Hunting is a prohibited act under at least two environmental laws—the Wildlife Act and National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act, which specifically prohibits hunting within a protected area.
A protected area by virtue of Proclamation 220, the AMNP covers an area of 5,676 hectares, stretching over 50 kilometers along the Bongabon-Baler Road. Established in 1937, the park was dedicated to former First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon.
Known for its rich biodiversity being part of the Sierra Madre mountain range, AMNP remains highly vulnerable to destructive human activities like most protected areas.
Besides the Philippine Eagle, AMNP is home to amphibians, reptiles and birds, including falcons and hawks. It is also home to the Luzon water restart, a small, Old World flycatcher restricted to rapidly deteriorating riverine habitat in the Philippines.
Sightings of Philippine Eagle were previously reported in the Sierra Madre mountain part of Aurora.
Increased awareness
The capture and subsequent rescue of the juvenile eagle confirms the existence of at least a pair of the rare bird of prey breeding in the region, said Fred Sadueste, chief of the wildlife enforcement division of the DENR in Central Luzon.
Eugene Nace, a farmer who rescued the eagle, turned it over to DENR Aurora, the DENR Central Luzon said in a news statement issued on June 4.
Joey Blanco, the DENR provincial chief in Aurora, said the eagle sustained no serious injuries because the snare, which was intended for monkeys, only caught its claws.
Sadueste said the proper course of action taken by the rescuer is a good sign and proof that the DENR’s information, education and communication campaign continues to increase the level of awareness of the people in Aurora and other parts of Central Luzon.
Nevertheless, he said the training of wildlife-enforcement officers would continue as they eye to deputize more residents to ensure the protection of wildlife in the Sierra Madre and in the rest of Central Luzon.
Environment month
Francisco Milla Jr., regional director of DENR in Central Luzon, said the rescue of the Philippine Eagle is very timely, since June is the month the DENR and the country are celebrating the Environment Month, with the theme “Go Wild for Life, Combat Biodiversity Loss.”
This underscores the zero tolerance for illegal-wildlife trade and the importance of protecting and conserving biodiversity, he added. “We must conserve and protect our wildlife, especially the Philippine Eagle, which is our very own pride. Their population is now dwindling, and they are placed at the ‘critically endangered’ status, meaning their kind is nearing extinction,” Milla explained.
Enhancing protection
New sightings of Philippine Eagle, including the rescue of juveniles being injured or trapped outside protected areas, is proof that the campaign to save the critically endangered species from extinction is gaining ground, Lim said.
However, she said it also calls for a more intensified campaign to enhance the protection and conservation beyond protected areas, particularly those known to be home to the rare bird of prey. The protected-area management system established under Nipas, Lim said, is one way of enhancing the protection of threatened wildlife species.
Since there is proof of sightings outside declared protected areas, Lim said the DENR is looking at declaring more areas as “critical habitat” for the Philippine Eagle.
This is currently being seriously considered for Mount Mingan, where the juvenile Philippine Eagle could have come from. Eventually, Mount Mingan can become the eagle’s territory where it could eventually find a mate and breed.
“Most of the eagles being shot and injured by hunters happen outside protected areas. That is why we have buffer zones for every protected area, where communities are supposed to protect them,” Lim said. He added that buffer zones would give wildlife an idea that there is danger beyond.
However, a juvenile eagle, after six months, becomes independent and needs to find its own territory away from its parents. This explains why juvenile eagles are exposed to risks of being shot or captured outside protected areas, Lim pointed out. To be continued
Image credits: DENR-Strategic Communication and Initiatives Service