Rowell Taraya, PEF Field Biologist/Facebook
THE Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) has appealed to the government to strengthen its efforts in the protection of the national bird following the death of Philippine Eagle Mangayon in Compostela Valley, Davao de Oro, on July 8, 2024.
Dennis Salvador, PEF executive director, said that conservation efforts need to be enhanced to save the endangered national bird. He emphasized that both the national government and the local government unit (LGU) should continue their collaborative efforts.
“But we would mostly need the LGU and national government actions and investments. The civil society sector can only do so much. We need government political will and action. There should also be additional financing to a systematic and nationwide species survival campaign before it’s too late for our national bird,” he said.
On the same day, the foundation received a report from Elyjun Acedo of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office Davao de Oro (DENR-Penro-Davao de Oro) regarding an injured eagle. The bird was found under the custody of the Philippine Army patrol base with an injured left wing at Bermuda, part of Barangay Mangayon.
Senior Animal Keeper Domic Tadena and PEF Senior Biologist Rowell Taraya led the rescue team to retrieve the eagle for a medical examination. Upon arrival, Mangayon was lethargic and unresponsive, with its right eye partially dilated with a prominent open injury in its left wing.
A report said that the gun wound was from an improvised “jolen” or marble gun that was fired while the eagle was perched.
The Philippine Eagle was then transferred to Davao City. Mangayon underwent physical and medical examinations, revealing several injuries, including shattered bones in the left tarsal joints.
Dr. Bayani Vandenborck, attending veterinarian of the eagle, reported an entry wound in the left tarsal area of the wing. The exit wound was found on the opposite side, extending to the left keel of its wing. At around 9:49 p.m., Philippine Eagle Mangayon succumbed to its injuries and was pronounced dead, as reported by Sunstar.
“The necropsy results revealed that Mangayon was a healthy male eagle with all internal organs in good condition. The primary cause of death was severe blood loss from the wounds in the left wing, with a high probability of sepsis stemming from the injuries,” PEF said in a statement.
Mangayon is the fourth rescued eagle in 2024 to have fallen victim to deliberate shooting apparent in their gunshot wounds, following Philippine Eagle Lipadas rescued in Mt. Apo in January, Kalatungan in Bukidnon, and Nariha Kabugao in Apayao in March.
