Supplemental feeding mulled for baby eagle

MANILA, Philippines - The Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) is considering supplemental feeding for an eaglet whose mother was killed in Mt. Apo in Davao recently. 

This developed after concerned groups observed that the father eagle failed to feed the eaglet properly.

BMB director Mundita Lim said groups like the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) suggested that interventions should be made.

“We could engage the eaglet in supplemental feeding,” Lim said.

 “Food can be brought to its nest.”

The eaglet is being kept and monitored in a nest at the Mt. Apo observation area in Sitio Mitondo, Sibulan, Davao City.

Lim said the PEF and BMB’s Regional Eagle Watch have been closely monitoring the eaglet’s condition.

BMB is an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Lim said a mother eagle tends to fly far and even outside the forest to find food for her young, thus endangering her life, and falling prey to hunters.

Earlier, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje committed to give funds to ensure the survival of the seven-month-old hatchling.

DENR officials also sought police assistance to determine who shot the mother eagle, which was found dead with a fractured keel bone, raising suspicion the bird was shot.

The Philippine Eagle, (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the monkey-eating eagle, is considered one of the biggest, rarest and most powerful birds in the world – for which it was declared as the country’s national bird.

It is critically endangered due to massive loss of habitat caused by deforestation.

Hunting and killing of the Philippine Eagle is punishable under Republic Act 6147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. Violators face a 12-year prison term and fines.