EIGHT breeding Philippine eagles were finally transferred on February 13 to the National Bird Breeding Sanctuary (NBBS) located in Barangay Eden, Toril, Davao City.
Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) Executive Director Dennis Salvador said on Monday, Feb. 12, that the transfer of the breeding eagles was prompted by fears of an avian flu outbreak and the flourishing of chicken farms in Malagos, the current location of the Philippine Eagle Center.
“With the flourishing of game fowl farms and poultry farms in the surrounding areas, which puts the population of eagles at great risk, and so they allowed us, the city government allowed us to move in here to build a facility for the breeding eagles,” Salvador said.
The location of the new breeding sanctuary in Barangay Eden, which is located 1,000 meters above sea level, is isolated from farms and other private development. The sanctuary is not open to the public.
In a previous interview, Dr. Jayson C. Ibañez, Philippine Eagle Foundation Director of Research and Conservation, said the facility will have six holding cages with one eagle per cage and a breeding cage for a natural pair.
“We have six holding cages, so that would accommodate six Philippine eagles, one eagle per cage. And we also have a breeding cage for a natural pair,” Ibañez said.
The 13.46-hectare sanctuary is part of the city government-owned Eden Tourism Reservation Area. A natural forest area of 8.16 hectares is designated as a buffer zone, and 5.30 hectares will be the core facility.
To realize the project, the usufruct agreement was signed by the City Government of Davao and the PEF for the property.
Aside from the city government, the sanctuary is assisted by generous partners and sponsors involving private corporations, local government agencies, local communities, individuals, and the neighboring Bagobo-Tagabawa community.
With the NBBS now operational, the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos will still be operational and open to the public. It will house non-breeding Philippine Eagles and other endemic animals kept at the center.
The center houses 32 Philippine eagles, which represents 5 percent of the 392 remaining pairs of Philippine eagles in the country. PIA DAVAO
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