TACLOBAN CITY— A critically endangered Philippine eagle was rescued by residents in a coastal village of Leyte town on Wednesday, May 27, after being found weak and injured along the shoreline, prompting concern from wildlife authorities over the condition of one of the country’s rarest birds.
The injured raptor was discovered around 10 a.m. in Sitio Core, Barangay Tinocdugan, about 10 kilometers from the town proper, according to Jobert Dublin, operations chief of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Leyte.
Dublin said residents immediately alerted authorities after spotting the large bird in distress.
“The eagle had a circular wound on the left wing and there were already maggots on it when it was discovered,” Dublin said in a phone interview. “We still do not know what caused the injury.”
He added that the bird was already severely weakened when it was rescued.
“It took a while before it could drink water and eat,” he said.
The eagle, estimated to weigh around five kilograms with a wingspan of about one meter, was given initial care by MDRRMO personnel before being turned over to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Ormoc City for further treatment and assessment.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the rescued eagle is among those released in Leyte’s forests under the Philippine Eagle reintroduction program spearheaded by the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
“We have no confirmation yet if it is one of the released birds, but we are thankful to the residents of Sitio Core for immediately reporting the incident,” Dublin said.
The Philippine Eagle Foundation began reintroducing Philippine eagles in the mountain forests of Burauen, Leyte in 2024 as part of efforts to rebuild the species’ population in Eastern Visayas. Four eagles have since been released in the area, which is considered part of the bird’s historic habitat.
One of the released eagles, named Uswag, died in July 2024 after being swept toward the sea during bad weather and later recovered in the waters off Baybay City.
The Philippine eagle, the country’s national bird, is classified as critically endangered, with fewer than 400 breeding pairs believed to remain in the wild due to habitat loss, hunting, and other human-induced threats.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
