Prospects bright for captive breeding of Philippine eagles

DAVAO CITY — The prospects for cooperative artificial insemination of Philippine eagles are bright, as another eaglet was hatched using such a method last Friday night at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Calinan district here.

"This success underscores our team’s growing capability to work even with difficult birds, and represents hopes that we can indeed realize the species’ recovery goals," said Domingo Tadena, deputy director for captive breeding of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) that manages the Malagos center.

However, the endeavor, according to the PEF, not only requires further intensive research but huge funding to maintain the center as a captive breeding base.

"Recent studies on the population of Philippine eagles show strong indications that the species may now be suffering from reproductive failure. But the problem may be due to high juvenile mortality due to human persecution such as hunting and capture of the young," said Dr. Hector Miranda, PEF science director.

Weighing 155.6 grams, the eaglet hatched last Friday was the eighth bird produced through captive propagation techniques at the Malagos center since 1992.

The egg was laid last Oct. 20, and the bird started cracking its shell last Dec. 13 and was fully hatched at about 8:30 last Friday night. It is the offspring of eagles Jag and Ka Brianne, considered the most prolific pair at the center.

Jag and Ka Brianne were separately turned over to the PEF after they were rescued from hunters who had planned to sell them to foreign buyers.

The new eaglet brings to 21 the number of Philippine eagles held in captivity at the Malagos center. Four other eagles are kept at the University of the Philippines campus in Los Baños, Laguna.