Wounded Philippine eagle rescued along Leyte shore
TACLOBAN CITY — A critically endangered Philippine eagle was rescued by residents along the shores of Leyte town on Wednesday, May 27, raising concerns among wildlife authorities over the condition of one of the country’s rarest birds of prey.
The wounded raptor was found 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 town.
“The eagle had a circular wound on the left wing and there were already maggots in it when it was discovered,” Dublin said in a phone interview. “We still do not know what caused the injury.”
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He said the bird appeared extremely weak when rescued.
“It took a while before it could drink water and eat,” he added.
The eagle, weighing about five kilograms with an estimated wingspan of one meter, was immediately brought to the MDRRMO office where first aid treatment was administered before it was turned over to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Ormoc City for further medical attention and assessment.
Authorities have yet to determine whether the rescued eagle is among the Philippine eagles released in the forests of Burauen, Leyte under a reintroduction program led 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 into Leyte’s forests in 2024 as part of efforts to restore the species’ population in Eastern Visayas.
Four eagles have so far been released in the mountain forests of Burauen, Leyte, an area considered part of the bird’s historic habitat before Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated much of the region in 2013.
One of the previously released eagles, named Uswag, died in July 2024 after it was believed to have been swept toward the sea during bad weather. The eagle was later recovered in the waters near Baybay City.
The Philippine eagle, regarded as the country’s national bird, is listed as critically endangered, with fewer than 400 breeding pairs believed to remain in the wild due to habitat destruction, hunting, and other human-related threats. /das
