Philippine Eagle ‘Mangayon’ killed in Davao de Oro

A Philippine Eagle was killed in Compostela, Davao de Oro, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) reported Thursday.

In a statement, PEF said “Mangayon,” a male eagle, died on Wednesday due to severe blood loss from a gunshot wound on the left wing, with a high probability of sepsis from his injury.

A Philippine Army soldier found the stricken eagle in a weakened state during a patrol in Barangay Mangayon.

The eagle was under the custody of the Philippine Army patrol base in the barangay. 

When Mangayon was turned over to PEF, the eagle was unresponsive, with its right eye partially dilated.

Initial assessment revealed that Mangayon weighs 5 kilograms and has an indication of slight thinness and dehydration.

The eagle also vomited while being transported and undergoing medical treatment.

The necropsy results showed that Mangayon was a healthy bird with all internal organs in good condition.

PEF said Mangayon is the fourth victim of gunshot in 2024. The other eagles were “Lipadas” in Mt. Apo, “Kalatungan” in Bukidnon, and “Nariha Kabugao” in Apayao. 

“This is the 20th case of eagle rescue since 2020, or a rate of 5 birds per year, which remains high,” PEF said.

On its website, the PEF said the Philippine Eagle “is considered to be one of the largest and most powerful among forest raptors. They are also listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with an estimated number of only 400 pairs left in the wild.”

PEF executive director Dennis Salvador has called for a swift implementation of improved interventions.

“But we would mostly need LGU and national government actions and investment. 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”, Salvador said. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News