PHILIPPINE EAGLE FLIES AWAY

By Rexiel Cal

Truly animals are jewel of their own land especially when they are endemic to that area. But what if these animals only exist on a specific land suddenly threatened in numbers? I don’t want to go far but to start in my own land – the Philippines.

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Philippines is one of the countries rich in beautiful forests and are good habitats for the wildlife. Philippines always make their way to conserve these forests to protect the animal species present in the country. But just like the other countries there are still animals in the country who are struggling to keep their numbers in the land. It is maybe because of the climate in the country, loss of their habitat or simply a fancy killing by the people on that place.

And our first stop, The Philippine eagle also known the Monkey-eating eagle.

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The Philippine Eagle is a giant forest raptor endemic to the Philippines. It is considered to be one of the three largest and most powerful eagles in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the world’s rarest and certainly among its most critically endangered vertebrate species.

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The Philippine eagle can live to between 30 and 60 years of age. It feeds mainly on flying lemurs, palm civets and monkeys, hence the alternative common name of ‘monkey-eating eagle’. Other prey items include rats, snakes, flying squirrels, birds and bats . Individuals hunt from perches and slowly move downhill from perch to perch before soaring back up the hill upon reaching the bottom . Philippine eagle pairs have been observed hunting together; one individual acts as a decoy, drawing the attention of a group of monkeys towards it while its partner executes a surprise attack from the rear . Pairs build an enormous nest high in the canopy, usually on an epiphytic fern; one egg is produced between October and December, and the chick is dependent on its parents for around a year.

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This species is endemic to the Philippines and found on parts of the larger islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao . The Philippine eagle was once widespread throughout these islands, and although the current population is unknown it is thought to number fewer than 250 mature individuals.

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The Philippine eagle is protected by law in the Philippines and occurs in a number of protected areas ; international trade and movement of this species is also restricted and controlled by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) . The Philippine Eagle Conservation Programme is working on educational campaigns, protecting and monitoring nests and a conservation breeding scheme ; so far, two captive-bred chicks have been produced with the aim of reintroducing them to the wild . In addition, chicks and eggs have been taken from areas of habitat at risk in order to establish a viable captive population from which individuals can be reintroduced to the wild . Despite these efforts, however, should habitat loss and subsequent human settlement continue at the current rate it seems doubtful that this majestic species will ever recover.