DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 29 February) – The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) expressed alarm over the persistence of illegal hunting activities in the mountains after juvenile Philippine Eagle Kalatungan was rescued, and after examination, was found wounded with two air gun pellets.
The raptor was rescued in Sitio Balmar, Barangay Nabaliwa in Pangantucan, Bukidnon last February 24.
In a statement, Dr. Jayson Ibañez, PEF director for operations, said that illegal hunting activities continue to threaten wildlife species, including the Philippine Eagles, despite claims by authorities that these unlawful activities are “under control.”
He said the foundation’s Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos has rescued and treated 19 birds since 2019, of which nine were injured due to shooting.
“It is alarming that in nearly all of these cases, air gun was the shooting weapon,” Ibañez said.
Kalatungan, which is between 1.5 and two years old, was found trapped inside a vine thicket, “dehydrated” and in a “weak” condition, the statement said.
Forest guard volunteers of Bantay sa Yutang Kabilin (BYK) association promptly rescued the eagle and brought it to the meeting hall in the sitio for temporary safekeeping.
A quick response team from the PEF in Davao was deployed to provide first aid to the raptor and stabilize its condition, and bring it to the center in Malagos for rehabilitation, the foundation said.
“It is most likely male, based on a body weight of only 3.45 kg. The bird’s crop was empty, which indicates that the bird hasn’t fed for days,” the statement reads.
It said that Dr. Sheen Erica Gadong, veterinary consultant of PEF, assessed the bird’s “body condition score” at three, which means its “muscles and fat are fairly within standards” but was “dehydrated and was evidently stressed.”
A superficial wound was discovered on the left wing, indicating potential injury or trauma, the statement said.
It added that a X-ray imaging conducted during a comprehensive health assessment and treatment at Doc Bayani’s Animal Wellness Clinic here showed two air gun pellets “lodged inside the eagle’s body, specifically above the right collar bone and at the right thigh region.”
“The pellets were lodged just beneath the skin, and the absence of entry wounds indicate that the shooting happened a few months back,” it said.
It added that Dr. Bayani Vandenbroeck, PEF’s chief veterinary consultant, surgically removed the lead pellets from Kalatungan’s body, while “blood and fecal samples” were collected for further blood chemistry and disease analyses, respectively.
“Blood samples will be sent also to the UP Diliman Genetic Laboratory for confirmatory DNA sexing,” it said.
Ibanez said the selling of air guns remains unregulated despite the passage of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act of 2013.
“It is technically not a firearm, thus it is not regulated under the law. This lack of regulation and prevailing treatment of air guns as ‘toys’ make it a very accessible tool for wildlife hunting and shooting, especially in the uplands where wildlife law enforcement is weak or almost non-existent,” he said.
According to PEF, Kalatungan was transferred to an isolation and rehabilitation pen at the center in Malagos. It said the raptor continues “to show good appetite and is responding well to rehabilitation procedures.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
