Girlie soars for wildlife cause

POSTER BIRD The only Philippine Eagle in Metro Manila, Girlie is blind in one eye, and can’t be returned to her habitat. She’s the star attraction at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center. Visit her during Philippine Eagle Week from June 4 to June 10. Girlie’s species is one of the rarest and most endangered. JOAN BONDOC

Blinded in one eye from a slingshot injury, Girlie is unable to return to her original home.

But she retains her majestic and proud bearing, and has been drafted into service for a higher cause—the protection and survival of her species, no less.

Apparently, not many people know that there is a Philippine Eagle in Metro Manila, and are pleasantly surprised when they find out that there is one housed in the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.

Anson Tagtag, head of the Philippine Raptors Conservation Program, said the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) intends to publicize Girlie’s presence at the park so that more people would come to see her and know more about the plight and the needs of the national bird, especially during Philippine Eagle Week from June 4 to 10.

Girlie is a captive Philippine Eagle who has been chosen by the environment department’s PAWB to be the “poster bird” for endangered species in the wild like her own.

The Philippine Eagle, proclaimed the national bird in 1995, is a giant forest raptor endemic to the Philippines and is considered one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world. It is also one of the rarest and among the most critical endangered vertebrate species.

There are only an estimated 300 pairs of Philippine Eagle in the wild, and they are found only in northern Luzon, Mindanao and Samar and Leyte islands. Another 32 eagles are in captivity.

Star attraction

Girlie, the only Philippine Eagle in the capital, has been the star attraction at the Quezon City park for the past two years, where she lives in a new home that boxing icon Manny Pacquiao provided last year.

She is considered the ambassador for conservation of Philippine eagles and other wildlife, said Tagtag.

Through her, people will get to know more about the conservation requirements for the Philippine Eagle and would be more inclined to provide help, said Tagtag.

Information about Girlie will be placed on the PAWB website, and a feature on the national bird will be aired as a segment of a local television show. A forum on fostering partnerships in protecting the Philippine Eagle and other threatened species has been scheduled for later this month.

Girlie was transferred to Metro Manila in 2009 from the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao City to help educate people about the plight of endangered species in the wild who are threatened on a daily basis.

She has been in captivity since 1982 after being caught in Bukidnon. She was injured when she was found, her right eye believed to have been hit by a slingshot. She is now blind in that eye.

But Girlie, now 31 years old, seems to have adjusted well to her 800-square meter, P400,000 home at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center, which Pacquiao donated last year.

King of Birds

She cuts a very impressive figure, with her fierce expression, gleaming dark brown plumage and huge, sharp talons that could easily tear apart her prey.

PAWB officials say it is no wonder that the Philippine Eagle has been hailed as the “World’s Noblest Flier” and the “King of the Birds.”

It is also known as the Great Philippine Eagle or the monkey-eating eagle. In certain parts of the Philippines, it is known as Haribon, or Haring Ibon (meaning Bird King).

The adult Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is a tall and large bird, standing approximately  one meter in height with a wingspan of two meters.

Girlie weighs in at five kilograms, devours 300 grams of meat a day and undergoes an extensive checkup annually.

She has adapted to the presence of humans, and shows off to visitors at times by extending her huge wings and flying around her cage.

But she has not lost her aggressive animal instincts, said Tagtag. When people get too close, her crest would rise, indicating that she is agitated.

Critically endangered

According to Tagtag, the Philippine Eagle has been in the critically endangered list since 1969 and remains in constant danger of losing its habitat because of the destruction of the country’s forests, with the deforestation rate estimated at 100,000 hectares per year.

Hunting and killing the Philippine Eagle is punishable by imprisonment or a fine under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

Tagtag explained that protecting the Philippine Eagle entailed protecting the forests, its natural habitat on which it depends for food and shelter.

He said studies are being made to determine the survival rate of juvenile Philippine Eagles, in the face of diminishing forests. Juvenile Philippine Eagles go off on their own after two years and need to find their own territory.

Loss of habitat

“The question is, will they be able to find their own territory? Will there be forests available for them?” said Tagtag.

The loss of habitat is not the only threat. With the degraded forests, the Philippine Eagle has been found to be getting much too close to agricultural areas or human settlements, leaving them vulnerable to hunters or poachers.

Philippine Eagles are actively hunted to sell or keep as pets or specimen. Or they can get caught in traps laid out for other animals, said Tagtag. This is because the eagle also walks in the forest where they prey on other animals caught in the traps.

Better kept captive

Not all of the rescued or captive Philippine Eagles can be released back into the wild, he said.

Those with injured wings, legs or eyes, like Girlie, are not the best candidates to be let out in the forest because they may not be able to fend for themselves.

Those that have been with humans for long also cannot be released back into the wild either. This is because they tend to approach humans, making them more vulnerable to hunters.

“So they’re better kept in captivity for educational purposes,” Tagtag said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is conducting a survey to map out the areas where the Philippine Eagle lives so that they can be declared a critical habitat and given immediate protection.

Environment officials have been encouraging people, especially in areas where the Philippine Eagle is endemic, to report trapped Philippine Eagles to the authorities. They have also been training their regional counterparts on the proper handling of rescued Philippine Eagles.

The DENR has also been encouraging the private sector to take part in protecting the Philippine Eagle and other endangered species. Individuals or corporations could adopt or sponsor a Philippine Eagle or other threatened wildlife by contributing funds, or supporting research or habitat protection projects.