THE population of Philippine Eagles in the wild declined to 392 pairs from an estimated 400 pairs in the past year, according to the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) on Wednesday, May 31.
Jimbea Lucino, manager of Culture-Based Conservation of PEF, said human activities endangering Philippine Eagles are still prevalent, such as shooting, hunting, and trapping within the habitats.
She added that the habitats of the Philippine Eagles, which are usually upland and forested areas, are depleting and threatened by deforestation. Majority of the eagle population is found in Mindanao but other habitats are in Leyte, Samar, and a few areas in Luzon.
“During the time of the pandemic, ang daming shooting and hunting na nagyari (so) marami rin kami ginawang rescue (there were a lot of shooting and hunting so we conducted a number of rescues),” Lucino said during the Wednesday Media Forum.
“Ang atong Philippine Eagle gyod karon is really at the state of possible extinction kung dili ta mag tinabangay (if we do not act together),” she added.
With this, the PEF continues its efforts to conserve the population of eagles through its conservation breeding program, as well as restore the eagles’ natural habitats.
As of the latest, the construction of the new site of PEF, exclusively for the conservation and breeding program of the eagles, is still ongoing.
Lucino said it is almost finished but there is no timeline yet as to when the eagles will be transferred. She said an initial three pairs would be housed in the remote site in Barangay Eden, Toril District in Davao City.
“Gina-build ang mga cages didto karon (We are building the cages now). Medyo tasking gyod ang pag build sa cages tungod sa kalayo sa area and the terrain (It’s a bit tasking because of the terrain and remote location of the site),” she said.
Meanwhile, the PEF is celebrating Philippine Eagle Week from June 3 to 12.
Irick Francisco, Conservation Education and Public Awareness officer said a number of activities will be held at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Davao City. ICM