DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 6 January) – An injured Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) was rescued on a mountain ridge along Lipadas River in Mount Apo Natural Park, Davao City, on January 2.
The two-year old critically endangered raptor, with a blind right eye, was named Lipadas after the river where it was spotted.
Biologists and animal keepers from the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) led the rescue activity, accompanied by a forest guard from the Bagobo-Klata tribe.
Jayson Ibanez, PEF director of research and conservation, who also participated in the rescue, mentioned that this marked the first-ever rescue of a one-eyed eagle in the wild and the first case of an eaglet sustaining an eye injury at an early stage of its nestling period.
Ibanez said Lipadas would be permanently held in captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center after consulting an expert from Kenya before the rescue and conducting an initial diagnosis assessment post-rescue.
“The expert from Kenya looked at the photos of the injured eye and mentioned that, based on the photo, the eyeballs were already swollen, and the right eye is completely blind. He strongly recommended trapping the bird and keeping it in captivity permanently,” he said.
He added that even in captivity the eagle can contribute to the population by breeding and releasing potential offspring back into the wild to support increasing population numbers.
PEF’s veterinary consultant, Dr. Bayani Vandenbroeck, who performed the physical assessment, noted that the right eye is completely blind, with active eyelid muscles allowing the bird to open and shut its eyelids. However, the eyeball has collapsed and shrunk.
“Sadly, I also looked at the left eye. It still has vision, but there is some cloudiness inside the eyeball, and there could be a chance that the bird’s eye would eventually go blind also,” Vandenbroeck said.
He confirmed that the eagle, which weighed 4.3 kg, has no bullet wounds or recent physical injuries, intact bones with no evidence of fractures, and a body condition score of ⅘.
A final veterinary report will be shared after completing the full blood chemistry analysis.
He recommended further assessment from an ophthalmologist and foreign experts to determine the appropriate intervention for the eye.
Lipadas is currently in the PEC and will undergo rehabilitation at the center’s quarantine facility.
Lipadas’ discovery
Ibanez said the Bagobo-Klata tribe first reported the eagle sighting in October 2022. Upon validating the eagle’s health issues, the PEF also informed the Bagobo Tagabawa group, as the nesting territory was sighted between the two ancestral domains.
“These two groups, Bagobo-Tagabawa forest guards of Toril, and the Bagobo Klata forest guards on the other side of Lipadas River, are jointly monitoring the pair, helping each other out to ensure the safety of the pair and the young from harm,” he said.
In a field report, the 10-month-old eaglet was photographed, noting a right eye injury with fluid flowing out. Although capable of flying, the infected eye prevented it from reaching farther areas.
“We started trapping the bird as early as January 2023. The team spent one month in the field observing the bird, understanding its movement patterns, and setting up traps. Unfortunately, the bird wasn’t confident enough to fly to the ground, making trapping unsuccessful. However, in December 2023, we found strong evidence that it’s already confident at flying to the ground and hunting,” Ibanez said.
To sustain the eagle’s interest in the area, forest guards provided supplemental food. After Christmas, complaints arose about Lipadas feeding on native chickens, leading to threats from farmers. This prompted an emergency trapping and rescue on January 2, 2024.
Rowell Taraya, a senior biologist at PEF, expressed hope that with the eaglet gone, the parents would nest this year, renewing their pair bond and breeding.
The Philippine Eagle lays a single egg every two years, waiting for their offspring to mature before producing another.
Dennis Salvador, PEF executive director, emphasized that Lipadas’ case highlights the need to invest in community-based forest guards.
“I think this event just underscores the need to continue investing in community-based forest guards because they have shown skills and have a proprietary interest not only over the eagle but also the rainforest, which serves as the home of the eagle as well as their own ancestral domain,” he said. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao/MindaNews)
