‘Kabayan’ hatches on same day ‘Amianan’ dies

DAVAO CITY — As one died, one was hatched.

On the same day "Amianan," a wounded and captured Philippine Eagle, died of a fungal infection, an eagle egg hatched at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) in Malagos district here, bringing new hope to the fight to save the national bird from extinction.

The newest eaglet weighed 142 grams after it emerged from its egg at 7:00 p.m. Saturday and was laid by "Kahayag" after successful artificial insemination. The PEC has successfully bred 12 eagles in captivity since it began its captive breeding program in the early 1990s.

The new eaglet has been christened "Kabayan."

Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) executive director Dennis Salvador said Kabayan is now up for adoption to whoever is willing to spend for its upkeep, since raising an eagle entails huge expenses.

The PEF runs the Malagos PEC and is sustained by donations from local and foreign organizations and individuals concerned with the environment. The Malagos center now keeps 25 Philippine Eagles, 12 of which were bred in captivity, including "Pag-asa" and "Pagkakaisa," the PEC’s first hatchlings in 1991.

For all that they are part of the fight to save the Philippine eagle from extinction, the PEF’s funds have been dwindling, as global economic slowdown has forced regular donors to totally cancel or drastically reduce their pledges.

Despite the fact that the decreased funding has affected the PEF’s operations, plans are on the drawing-board for the expansion of the PEC facilities in Malagos to accommodate more birds and for research and development, since the PEC is now the locus of the captive breeding program.

Another eagle shot

Meanwhile, Secretary Heherson Alvarez of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) promised to provide the lead poison antidote needed by another wounded Philippine Eagle that was turned over to the PEC by a Zamboanga del Norte businessman last week.

Like Amianan, "Jean" had been shot. Jean reportedly had difficulty flying after it sustained gunshot wounds and still had four lead pellets imbedded in its body and sustained a fractured wing.

It will be recalled that Amianan had undergone surgery to remove a .22 caliber slug from its chest. While Amianan survived the operation, it succumbed to Aspergillosis and had already been suffering from multiple chronic respiratory ailments.

The population of the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga Jefferyi) is now placed at 300 pairs, with most of the raptors found in the wilds of Southern and Northern Mindanao and in Leyte.

At least 50 captive Philippine eagles are housed in various centers in the country, including the centers in Malagos and at the University of the Philippines campus in Los Baños, Laguna.