PAL adopts 26th eaglet bred in captivity

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is adopting the latest eaglet that was bred in captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center in Calinan district here. 

The carrier aims to donate one million Mabuhay Miles to support the non-profit Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) in spreading more awareness to help stem the dwindling population of the Philippine Eagle and to protect its habitat.

“Philippine Airlines is committed to help promote the survival of the Philippine Eagle, a representation of our country’s cultural heritage, and to ensure the protection of its natural habitat,” said Jaime Bautista, PAL president and chief operating officer.

Bautista said several passengers have donated their unused flight miles and thanked them for “unselfishly heeding the call to donate to the ‘Miles for a Mission’ project,” which aims to preserve the national bird and protect the environment. 

PEF executive director Dennis Salvador told The STAR that PAL’s million-mile donation would be a big help to the PEF operation, especially in ensuring that more people will be made aware of the importance of conserving the country’s national bird. The adoption would be for the next six years.

The eaglet that PAL adopted turned one month old yesterday and is the 26th Philippine eagle bred in captivity at the Malagos eagle center since the birth of the eagle Pag-asa in 1992. 

PEF pegged the adoption of a Philippine Eagle at P150,000 a year. The Malagos center still has six more Philippine Eagles up for adoption.

Curator Anna Mae Sumaya said the PAL-adopted chick is a ravenous eater, but “I only give the amount of food appropriate for the chick’s age to ensure its diet is normal.”

An eaglet is fed three times a day and given 80 grams of ground quail meat, liver and bones per feeding. It is also tended in an air-conditioned room that simulates conditions in the wild.

After this stage, the eaglet will be transferred to an isolated area for “mentoring” before being transferred to a room where it can see the activities of an adult eagle so it can properly imprint to their species.