Endangered Hawk-eagle sold illegally<\/p>\n
Bambang M, Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Environmental damage and continued bird hunting have brought many
\nbird species, some of which have never been studied or
\ncataloged, to the brink of extinction. One of these species, now
\nvery rarely found in its natural habitat in Indonesia, is the
\nChangeable Hawk-eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus).<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the Changeable Hawk-eagle is known as Elang
\nbrontok. The Javanese word brontok means a blister on your skin.
\nIt is not clear, according to Triman Setyardi of the Indonesian
\nKutilang Foundation for Bird Conservation, why the bird was given
\nthis name as there are no blisters on it.<\/p>\n
Another constraint is that this species is becoming endangered
\nboth in Indonesia and in the Philippines, where it used to be
\nabundant. On the southern slopes of Mount Merapi, Yogyakarta,
\nbird watchers rarely see them.<\/p>\n
However, the census of flora and fauna made by the Natural
\nResources Conservation Center of Yogyakarta in 2001 failed to
\nspot even a single Changeable Hawk-eagle. There may be just a few
\nleft on the slopes of Mount Slamet, Central Java. A biodiversity
\nreport about this area made by Yayasan Kutilang, Kapalla
\nIndonesia and Birdlife in 2000 did not even include this species.<\/p>\n
It is somewhat uplifting news, therefore, to learn that this
\nspecies was recently seen in Pacitan, East Java, although it soon
\nwent missing.<\/p>\n
\"Last year we found a nest on a road-side tree in Pacitan. We
\nasked the locals to keep watch over it but the young eagle got
\nlost,\" said Heri of Kanopi, a Yogyakarta-based environmental NGO
\nwhich plans to conduct more research on the hawk-eagle this year.<\/p>\n
The size of the population of this eagle throughout Indonesia
\nis yet to be ascertained. However, the shrinking population of
\nthis predator is particularly attributable to the damage of its
\nhabitat and poaching.<\/p>\n
In April 1999, the Kutilang Foundation came across two of
\nthem, a species protected by Law No. 5\/1990 and registered in
\nAppendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in
\nEndangered Species), at a market in Kaliurang near Yogyakarta.
\nThe rare bird is also reportedly available at Ngasem bird market
\nin Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The Changeable Hawk-eagle, just like other wild animals, is in
\nfact hard to keep as a pet. First of all one has to pay quite a
\nhandsome sum of money for its large cage and feed. That's why
\nthis species is usually found in upper class homes.<\/p>\n
A young one can cost as much as a several hundred thousand
\nrupiah, but can easily die of a stress if it is kept in a house.<\/p>\n
Sudartomo of Yogyakarta is one of those who illegally owns a
\nChangeable Hawk-eagle. Three years ago he bought two young ones
\nat Ngasem for Rp 300,000 each. \"One of them soon died of an
\nillness,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The other eagle is now in a cage measuring 5 meters high, 2
\nmeters long and 2 meters wide. Each day, a large chunk of chicken
\nis fed to the winged carnivore.<\/p>\n
\"Although I have had it for many years, its natural instinct
\nis still evident, as it always shows alertness. Before eating, it
\nalways checks the perimeter for rival predators, then whisks the
\nmeat away to the relative security of the top of the cage,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that the eagle liked natural showers. \"Every time it
\nrains, it always enjoys washing under the rain and will spread
\nits wings to get all parts clean,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The Changeable Hawk-eagle habitat stretches from India to
\nSoutheast Asia. In Indonesia, they are found in Sumatra, Java,
\nKalimantan and Nusa Tenggara. Normally, its habitat is located in
\nmountain forests at a height of around 2,000 meters above sea
\nlevel.<\/p>\n
In its natural habitat, the eagle, said Anita Gamauf, an
\nornithologist who studied the eagle in the Philippines, can perch
\nitself on a tree for a whole day. However, it usually does this
\nbetween 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
As the day wears on and the temperature of the air rises, the
\neagle begins to soar, making a rotation movement in the air (with
\nthe help of the hot air that comes up) to look for its prey. It
\nflight reaches its peak between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 1
\np.m. and 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
J. MacKinnon and Phillips K. in their book Field Guide for
\nBirds In Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Bali writes that the hawk
\neagles are fond of visiting open forest areas. Meanwhile, Anita
\nGamauf found that this eagle likes hunting in a forest that has
\nbegun to be cleared, in a fragmented forest and in an unirrigated
\nagricultural field. Its favorite prey are chickens.<\/p>\n
Even though it is being studied more and more, the Changeable
\nHawk-eagle is now nearing extinction.<\/p>",
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