|
Monday, June 05, 2006
Philippine Eagle thrives in Zamboanga region
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has lined up different activities for the observance of the Philippine Eagle Week that reeled of Sunday, as it tries to protect the country's national bird thriving in three provinces of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region.
DENR's Protected Areas Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Director Eduardo Bisquera Jr. said this year's Philippine Eagle Week observance is themed: "Inang Kalikasan Kalingain, Agila ng Lahi Sagipin."
Bisquera said his office will concentrate on informing and educating the public about the Philippine Eagle through press releases, radio plugs, community information campaign, pictorial exhibits, and the monitoring of Philippine Eagle and other raptor sites throughout Western Mindanao.
He said there are six sites in the region with confirmed sightings of Philippine Eagle, which is known as the Philippines' national bird.
These are Mount Kulabog, Lakewood; Mount Linogon, Bayog; Mount Timolan, Kumalarang, all in the Province of Zamboanga del Sur; Mount Baliguian, Baliguian; Gutalac Mountain Ranges, Gutalac, all in Zamboanga del Norte; and Mount Hayop, R.T. Lim in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Bisquera said the Philippine Eagle is endemic in the Philippines and is known as the largest eagle in the world with a wingspan of two meters, height of one meter, and weight of up to eight kilograms each.
Its diet consists of monkeys, snakes, flying lemurs, squirrels and a host of small mammals that it can find in its territory.
"That is why its presence in a particular place signifies a perfect balance of the upland ecosystem as most of its food are still present there and its habitat intact," Bisquera explained.
The Philippine Eagle Week observance from June 4 to 10 is mandated under Presidential Proclamation 79, which is aimed to generate public awareness on the importance of the eagle in the ecosystem and the threat it faces as its population in the wild continues to dwindle due to illegal trade, collection, and habitat lost.
Bisquera said 200 to 400 Philippine Eagles were sighted in the wild in the late 70's and only 158 eagles, as of last year.
(June 5, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
