THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) released an endemic Philippine serpent eagle (scientific name Spilornis holospilus) into the forests of Aurora after it was rescued by environmental enforcers.
A concerned citizen from Aurora province recently turned the serpent eagle over to local DENR officers.
Dingalan DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) head Marivic Santos said that Ryan Casim of Barangay Florida in Maria Aurora town caught the serpent eagle in their backyard and immediately reported the incident to environment authorities.
“The bird was temporarily kept under our custody, since its health condition was not in good state to be immediately released to the wild,” the Cenro chief said.
As the bird fully recovered, Santos said they finally released the rescued and rehabilitated Philippine serpent eagle within the Dibalo Pingit Zabali Malayat Watershed Forest Reserved in Sitio Dipanamianan, Barangay Pingit, Baler, Aurora on February 2.
According to studies, the Philippine serpent eagle is a relatively small raptor that lives in Luzon and Mindanao islands. It is usually found in forest clearings, open woodlands, and sometimes in cultivated lands with scattered trees.
Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the conservation status of this bird species is categorized as “Least Concern,” which means that it has a lower risk of extinction.
DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno Jr. noted that the presence of the Philippine serpent eagle was an indication of healthy forest areas in Central Luzon, particularly in Aurora.
“Our biodiversity conservation and forest protection efforts bring positive outcomes in preserving the habitat of this endemic bird species,” Moreno said.
He appealed to the public to immediately report to environment authorities any wildlife sighting and encounter to avert potential danger and threat to their population.
“We also encourage the public to remain vigilant in reporting any illegal trading and online selling of wildlife to help us penalize perpetrators who pose threat to our biodiversity and our environment,” Moreno ended.
Sighting and turnover of wildlife, as well as other concerns on environmental violations, may be reported through the DENR hotline number: 0945-368-5303.