THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has placed a Brahminy kite under the care of its Regional Wildlife Rescue Center in Baclay village, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur, the DENR said Friday, January 19, 2024.
The DENR regional office said the Brahminy kite will remain under rehabilitation at the wildlife center before releasing it to its natural habitat.
The DENR said the personnel of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro)-Ramon Magsaysay personnel retrieved the adult Brahminy kite in Poblacion village, Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur, last week.
The DENR said Eleasar Gella, a resident of Poblacion village, saw the bird landed on the ground while flying from the top of an Alim tree in the backyard of their home.
Gella believes it was tamed as a pet because of a broken string on its left foot.
Following the incident, Gella posted the bird on his social media account to draw the DENR's attention so that he could hand over the wild raptor.
Upon assessment, the DENR said the bird is physically healthy, weighing around half kilo and having a wingspan of roughly 43 centimeters
The DENR said the bird was taken directly to the Regional Wildlife Rescue Center in Baclay village, Tukuran for proper care before releasing it to its natural habitat.
Under Republic Act No. 9147, which provides for the conservation and protection of animal resources and their habitats, the DENR constantly forbids the public from unlawful domestication of wildlife for whatever purpose. (SunStar Zamboanga)