Eagle with pellet wounds rescued in Cotabato

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Another female Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jeferyi) was rescued on Sept. 27 in Barangay Manobo, Magpet in Cotabato province, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced on Thursday.

The young eagle named “Magpet” was found weak and injured by airgun pellets on Sept. 27 by local residents in the area. It was later turned over to the Department of Natural Resources Office and later endorsed to the Philippine Eagle Foundation for examination and care.

A team from PEF led by Senior Animal Keeper Dominc Tadena, Senior Biologist Ron Taraya and Veterinarian Danielle Pasion was sent to Magpet to conduct thorough physical examination of the eagle and assess its condition.

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PEF said during its initial examination, the eagle is presumed to be female, weighs 5.15 kilograms, was bright, alert and responsive despite her injuries. 

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X-ray revealed Eagle Magpet sustained three airgun pellets lodged inside her body-one near the right wing, one near her right leg and another near the base of her tail.

READ: PH eagle Lakpue rescued in Leyte after losing talon in dog encounter

“We have seen this happen too many times. Philippine Eagles continue to be shot with air guns and improvised firearms. Our Population Viability Analysis warns that the population could collapse if these human-caused deaths do not stop,” Dennis Salvador, PEF Executive Director, said.

“Protecting our national bird requires a whole-of-nation effort from government, communities, Indigenous Peoples, law enforcement, the private sector and every Filipino,” he added.

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In 2013, PEF said a juvenile Philippine Eagle was also rescued in nearby Barangay Amabel, also in Magpet, North Cotabato but it later died from a .22-caliber gunshot wound.

The place both eagles rescued is an ancient eagle territory.

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“It is part of an old Philippine Eagle nesting territory, with nesting records going back as early as 1983,” PEF in a statement said.

According to them, the last nesting record in the area was in 1990. An eaglet was seen at the nest.

The rescue area also lies within the Mt. Apo Key Biodiversity Area, which covers around 100,000 hectares of forest.

The country’s national bird is critically endangered, largely due to loss of habitat and human persecution like hunting, with experts estimating that only 392 pairs of the raptors remain in the wild.

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The Philippine Eagle was declared the country’s national bird in July 1995 by then President Fidel Ramos. /cb