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A couple of weeks ago, news reports carried the story of a juvenile Philippine eagle that was rescued from the Bagalbal forest on Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park (MKRNP) in Valencia City, Bukidnon, on August 31.
It was rescued when in distress as it called out due to pain and starvation, while perched on a tree.
Estimated to be around six to seven months old, the eagle was malnourished.
Emergency surgery
The eagle's condition was critical, with its wing injury necrotic, necessitating amputation to save its life.
According to Jayson Ibanez, the PEF director for Operations and Conservation, the PEF recorded an average rescue rate of five eagles per year post-pandemic.
The rescue rate was the highest during the pandemic with seven eagles rescued in a year.
Shot by improvised gun
Dr. Bayani Vandenbroeck, PEF's veterinary consultant, said in his medical report: 'It is improbable that the eagle sustained this type of compound fracture and wound solely from a fall from the nest. A more plausible explanation is that the eagle was shot with a high-powered firearm using large ammunition, such as a marble gun or shotgun, which caused the extensive bone fragmentation in the wing at the point of impact.'
PEF Executive Director Dennis I. Salvador expressed alarm over the continued attack of the country's National Bird in the wild.
Ironically, the juvenile Philippine eagle, a critically endangered species that is protected under existing laws, was shot and nearly killed within the vicinity of MKRNP-one of the Philippines' most significant biodiversity hotspots.
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