ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The Conservation of the World's Rarest Bird of Prey, the Philippine Eagle

Updated on October 1, 2012

Some facts about the Philippine Eagle

  • It has the longest wingspan among any birds in the world which could surpass 8 feet in length.
  • It is regarded as the tallest eagle
  • Its scientific name is Pithecophaga jefferyi.
  • It is being conserved by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).
  • It is the rarest eagle in the world.
  • It is the second largest eagle next only to Harpy Eagle which is found in the Americas.


Pictures or Images of the Philippine Eagle

The Philippine Eagle Image was one of the Avatar I used here in HubPages
The Philippine Eagle Image was one of the Avatar I used here in HubPages
Efficient and tenacious, the Philippine Eagle is a consummate hunter in the wild.
Efficient and tenacious, the Philippine Eagle is a consummate hunter in the wild.

This week's HubMob will certainly be a blast for many Hubbers!

Facing extinction few decades ago PEF made a turnaround to preserve this mighty animals.

If the American Bald Eagle is the symbol of United States' free-wheeling and vibrant democracy, the Philippines has its own emblem for her national sovereignty and freedom as well. The mighty Philippine eagle, swift, agile and a ferocious predator is indeed one of the most fascinating of its kind in the world. Regarded as the second largest worldwide, the Philippine Eagle is also dubbed as Philippine Monkey-Eating Eagle (the eagle's diet is not primarily monkey, it also stalks on small mammals, other birds, snakes and pythons) and fondly called Haribon by local folks. The Philippine Eagle which is considered to be one of the finest gliders in the open air is also reputed to be the rarest. However, this majestic yet humble creatures are critically endangered as their numbers is rapidly dwindling down, no thanks to the loss of their habitat due to development in rural areas that spurs progress and illegal logging that results to the denudation of the forests in the country. Although protected by the government, problems like hunting for its meat and illegal poaching continues to be a bane in the conservation efforts of these consummate predators. Their population is reducing at an alarming rate then, but thank goodness, there is the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) to the rescue which is based in the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Baguio District, Davao City which is near to the magnificent and hot tourist spot destination the Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the country.

For more than 15 years of painstaking research and sheer perseverance, the PEF is now an expert in the breeding, hatching and rearing process of the Philippine Eagle. The captive-breeding also endeavors to release some of these rare birds in the wild.

The first captive-bred Philippine Eagle that was hatched and reared in this program includes Pag-asa who just celebrated its 18th hatch day (not birthday, this is a bird :D) last January 15, 2010. Pag-asa whose meaning is hope in local vernacular got enough national attention and interests from the very day it hatched out from its shells until now. Pag-asa which its name suggests, truly brought home hope and joy to the entire nation for it is the product of captive breeding whose objective is to preserve their kind and help them stave off extinction.

Dr. James Grier, one of the stalwarts in Philippine Eagle research programs stated that little is known about the Philippine Eagle outside of the Mindanao archipelago as he said, " Eagles in Luzon, Samar, Leyte and some parts in Mindanao, have not been studied so far, but we know there has been some sightings." True enough, four more Philippine Eagle were sighted in Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park from 2003 to 2005.

Dr. Grier also said, "The PEF has made significant advance in several fronts with the eagle and rainforest conservation. Their integrated approach work with the wild birds, conservation, breeding, socio-economic and education programs. They are working with other groups and spreading their expertise and knowledge with these trainings (provided to participants in the preservation of the Philippine Eagle)."

In April 2005, fourteen of the 18 captive-bred eagles survived including a chick which hatched very weak and almost succumbed to death. After enduring the treacherous task of coming off its shell, the chick lived miraculously and one year later it is pronounced healthy by the PEF staffs.

But a sad fate happened, just a week before Pag-asa celebrated its 13th hatch day, Kabayan another captive-bred eagle was electrocuted at the PEF Sanctuary in Mount Apo when it was released in the wild as a part of the conservation program. Kabayan was named after the monicker of Vice President Noli de Castro, which means compatriot. The remains of this unfortunate bird of prey was stuffed and made into a statue.

All in all, the PEF accomplishments in taking good care of these wonderful creatures are astounding and truly inspiring. With their unparalleled efforts, now the majestic Philippine Eagle has a good chance of averting extinction

My mighty thirteenth hub in the HubChallenge.

And a HubMob Contribution.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)