THE Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) is happy to announce that on December 4, 2021 at 1:16 p.m., a Philippine eagle egg hatched.
The chick started to pip at 12:03 p.m. of December 3 and took over 24 hours before it completely broke out of its egg. This was the fastest pip-to-hatch record in the PEF's breeding program. The eaglet is the 29th successfully bred chick at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC).
Philippine Eagle Foundation Executive Director Dennis Salvador says "the hatching of this chick is a culmination of all our hard work and perseverance in an incredibly tough time in the conservation mission. We share this milestone with the Filipino people who have supported us through their donations and helped keep the PEC a safe home for our national bird amid the Covid-19 pandemic."
The egg was laid on October 10, 2021 by female eagle Ariela. It was produced with her male natural pair MVP Matatag. Both are rescued eagles from the wild and were first introduced for pairing in February 2019. They are one of the three Philippine Eagle natural pairs under the care of the PEF. Ariela and MVP Matatag are symbolically adopted – Ariela by Ariela Marketing Company Inc. since 2015 and MVP Matatag by PLDT since 2017.
"The steadfast support of our Philippine eagle adopters is invaluable. Their years of trust and generosity bolstered the crucial work of our keepers at the PEC that led to this hatching," adds Salvador.
The chick is kept in the PEC's incubation and rearing laboratory and closely monitored round the clock by the PEF's Conservation Breeding Program. (PR)