World's largest bird of prey faces extinction in Philippines<\/p>\n
By David Botbol [10 pts ML]<\/p>\n
DAVAO, Philippines (AFP): Perched majestically in a massive
\ncage, Pag-asa doubly arouses the curiosity of visitors: He is one
\nof the last members of a vanishing eagle species, and the first
\nto be born in captivity.<\/p>\n
Conceived by artificial insemination, the bird -- whose name
\nmeans \"hope\" -- symbolizes efforts to avert the extinction of the
\nPhilippine eagle, the world's largest bird of prey with a
\nwingspan stretching two meters.<\/p>\n
Today they number less than 70, from several hundred in the
\nearly 1980s, an alarming trend which fuels growing awareness
\namong Filipinos that in order to save the eagle, which has become
\na national symbol, they must first save its natural habitat.<\/p>\n
The unique predator \"is above all endangered by the
\naccelerating disappearance of the tropical forest,\" said Domingo
\nTadena, an official of the Davao-based Philippine Eagle
\nFoundation, where Pag-asa was born in 1992.<\/p>\n
The forest cover has shrunk from 17 million hectares (42
\nmillion acres) in 1934 to six million hectares in 1991, and
\nillegal logging continues, cornering the eagle in the shreds of
\nwhat used to be one of Asia's lushest forests.<\/p>\n
Located in Malagos, a mountain district of this city on the
\nlarge southern island of Mindanao, the private foundation
\nshelters 16 eagles, and is trying to protect the 47 others
\ncounted in the wilds across the archipelago.<\/p>\n
It started out by collecting sick or wounded eagles, and then
\ntrying to make them reproduce in captivity, an exercise largely
\ndiscouraged by the difficulty of pairing off compatible couples,
\nTadena said.<\/p>\n
Monogamous<\/p>\n
In the wilds, the strictly monogamous eagle dominates the food
\nchain in a zone spanning up to 100 square kilometers (40 square
\nmiles), regulating the population of its prey -- monkeys, snakes
\nand wild cats -- but it will only attack man if its nest is
\nthreatened.<\/p>\n
Tadena's neck and face bear the scars from three attacks by
\nthe formidable birds, also known as the monkey-eating eagle, in
\nthe cages of Malagos.<\/p>\n
But more often than not it is the other way around. An eagle
\nwounded by a hunter's bullet was captured in northern Mindanao
\nlast March, but died of infection last week after being put on
\npublic display.<\/p>\n
A spectacular breakthrough occurred in January 1992 with the
\nbirth of Pag-asa and later that year of Pagkakaisa (Unity), also
\nby artificial insemination.<\/p>\n
But since then all new attempts have failed, revealing the
\nlimitations of breeding the eagles in captivity. Hence the
\nproliferation of projects aimed at protecting their natural
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
\"The problem,\" notes Dennis Salvador, the young director of
\nthe foundation, \"is to teach nature conservation to people with
\nempty stomachs.\"<\/p>\n
The remote areas where the last eagles have found refuge are
\nthe haunts of tribes who live at subsistence levels, accustomed
\nto wanton logging and slash-and-burn farming.<\/p>\n
In five pilot areas around Mindanao, tribal communities of
\nabout 25 families each have become the \"guardians\" of eagles'
\nnests and the forest, in exchange for livelihood assistance on
\nland that has already been cleared, such as fertilizers, farm
\ntools and cooperatives.<\/p>\n
The experience, said Salvador, \"to a large extent succeeded in
\nreducing the pressure on the forest,\" but there are not enough
\nfunds to develop the project.<\/p>\n
Financed largely by donations from private firms or
\norganizations, the foundation is racing against time: it
\nestimates that the number of eagles must reach about 200 by the
\nyear 2000 in order to have any hope of saving the species from
\nextinction.<\/p>\n
- 30 -<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/worlds-largest-bird-of-prey-faces-extinction-in-philippines-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }