They have flown back to the wild.
While several forest areas in Samar are being taken for granted, Burauen’s conservation efforts are paying off.
Two rescued Philippine eagles are set to be released in the forests of Burauen, Leyte on June 28.
The scheduled release is part of the experiment to reintroduce the national bird in "vacant habitats" outside the island of Mindanao.
Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) Director for Operations Jayson Ibañez said that the eagles, named Uswag and Karlito, will be freed in the 4,000-hectare Marabong Watershed in the remote community of Kagbana.
Karlito, a six years old female, was rescued back in 2022 in an upland Pangyan village in Trento, Agusan del Sur. She was sick.
Why the bird was named Karlito, the official simply said it was “a long story”.
Meanwhile, Uswag is just three years old and was rescued in the Davao Region in August 2023 after sustaining injuries in Mount Apo.
A Safe Haven
This experiment, however, still alarms a few people pointing out the possibility of poachers in the area but authorities assured that it is safe.
The said area is part of the nearly 60,000-hectare Anonang Lobi mountain range, one of the country’s known key biodiversity areas.
“The forest is good, and there are enough food items in the area for the Philippine Eagles. This is a strategy to increase the number of eagles by releasing them into vacant habitats,” Ibañez said.
Acclimation
As of this writing, the eagles were in Burauen since June 11. They were ferried via "Comfort Class" airlift of the Philippine Air Force.
The eagles are now in the hack cages, closely monitored by a team of experts deployed by the Davao-based eagle conservation group.
“These temporary cages will help them acclimate to their new surroundings before their release,” Ibañez said.
Communal Effort
To further ensure the success of the experiment, PEF had long been preparing the community for the arrival of the birds since 2010.
“These eagles are floaters without territory. They are vulnerable to shooting and trapping. We have done a series education drives to help provide alternative livelihoods. Former hunters are now forest guards, and they abandoned trapping activities in favor of conservation,” he told the Philippine News Agency.
For a year, a team from PEF composed of a full-time biologist, animal keeper, and education officer will stay in Kagbana to monitor the movement and survival of the released birds using a global positioning system tracker.
Breeding Site?
In the event of a success, the foundation identified the mountain range as the new Philippine Eagle Conservation Site. They’re eyeing the release of 18 eagles, or nine pairs, in the next five years.
“Any rescued eagles in Mindanao will be automatically transferred to Leyte. We will also get healthy young birds and translocate them to Leyte to repopulate the place."
“We hope the release can open opportunities for scientific research that will benefit communities. We want to strengthen the green jobs option in Kagbana, replacing hunting and collecting wildlife,” the official added.
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