DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/6 Oct) – Another released Philippine Eagle was found dead in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental last Monday apparently after it was shot, according to the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).
The PEF said in a statement that a concerned citizen called their office in Barangay Malagos here and informed them of a dead Philippine Eagle. But PEF’s retrieval team arrived at the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Gingoog only today.
PEF said the eagle’s body was already in an advanced state of decomposition.
The female eagle, which was named Hagpa, was released back into the wild in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon May 25 last year after it was captured by a farmer.
The team was able to recover a leg band positively identifying the remains as that of Hagpa, the satellite transmitter which had apparently been shot at, some feathers and bones.
In a phone interview, Tatit Quiblat, manager for development at PEF, said the eagle was first monitored that it was already in Gingoog City last month.
Since Hagpa’s release into the wild, Quiblat said the PEF staff had been able to monitor the eagle’s activities because of the satellite transmitter.
Even last week, they were still able to monitor the bird to be in Gingoog.
“Hagpa’s release was being studied by our staff to see its movements after being released into wild, considering that it was a juvenile eagle.
We discovered that at two years old, the eagle already left its parents,” she said.
Quiblat said they are now coordinating with the authorities to investigate the incident.
Hagpa’s release was the first case of a young eaglet accepted back by its parents after being gone for exactly 27 days, the PEF added in the statement.
PEF said Hagpa was about six to eight months old at the time of rescue. “The eagle … was treated for minor injuries and stress at the Philippine Eagle Center for 21 days then released back to her forest home,” PEF added.
“The resumption of filial bonds between the parents and the returning eaglet was confirmed during a field work in July 2010, when the eaglet was seen in active play, healthy and fed by her parents,” it added. (Keith Bacongco / MindaNews)