The fight to save the PHL Eagle begins in the forest

By protecting our forests, we can help save the vanishing Philippine eagles and secure our future.  This is the theme of this year’s Philippine Eagle week, which is being celebrated from June 4 to 9.

 

“We want to bring this message to people of all ages, especially to those living in cities,” Dennis Salvador, executive director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) said in a statement.  “Those who are in the urban areas seldom see the importance of saving our forests, as they are not there to see the immediate impact of environmental degradation to the endangered species that inhabit therein.”

 

Almost always, people who have a close encounter with the country’s iconic avian are mesmerized by its beauty.  “They are impressive birds,” said Chad Gessele, an American from Oregon who edits Better Life Television, Inc.  “Before my mini-trip there, I knew of these things, knew their basic statistics, but seeing them up close is a different deal.”

 

In July 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos signed Proclamation No. 615 declaring the Philippine eagle the country’s national bird.  He said that the bird is found only in the Philippines and as such it should be a source of national pride.

 

The Philippine eagle (scientific name: Pithecophaga jefferyi) is listed by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as among the country’s threatened birds.  If the national bird dies, according to Ramos, “so will all the country’s efforts at conserving its natural resources and treasures.”

 

The eagle center in Malagos, Davao City, was opened to the public in 1988.  Situated at the foot of Mount Apo, the country's highest peak, it simulates a tropical rain forest environment.  Here, visitors can safely catch a glimpse of the center's many eagles —some of which were fortunately rescued from poachers.

 

Thirty-two birds have been raised as part of the center's breeding program. Pag-asa (from the Tagalog word for “hope”) is one of the center's most famous residents, the first tropical eagle conceived through artificial insemination.

 

“Pag-asa connotes hope for the continued survival of the Philippine eagle, hope that if people get together for the cause of the eagle, it shall not be doomed to die,” said Salvador.

 

The PEFI firmly believes that the fate of the endangered Philippine eagle, the health of the country’s environment, and the quality of Filipino life are inextricably linked.  “By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat,” Salvador pointed out.

 

On why the Philippine eagle is fast disappearing in the country, Salvador cited deforestation as the culprit.  “Deforestation is terrible,” he said.  “The Philippine eagle has become a critically endangered species because the loss of the forest had made it lose its natural habitat.”

 

A mated pair of Philippine eagles needs at least 7,000 to 13,000 hectares of forest for nesting territory, Salvador explained.

 

In the near future, PEFI aims to release the captive birds and those that have been artificially bred back into its natural habitat.  But “if time will come that we have enough stocks of Philippine eagles, where shall we release them?” Salvador asks.

 

In the meantime, the center has been doing its best to educate Filipinos and everyone on the importance of the Philippine Eagle and the need to preserve its habitat.

 

Guests are charged a nominal fee to enter the facility.  The proceeds are used to support research and conservation efforts of the PEFI.  The center depends largely on donations from individuals and multinational companies.

 

Will the Philippine eagle go the way of the extinct dodo? 

 

Unfortunately, that ominous question still hangs in the air. — TJD, GMA News