“#TransferBreedingEaglesNow”Why do we need to relocate our breeding Philippine eagle pairs from the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos to the Eden Tourism Reservation Area in Barangay Eden, Davao City?
https://www.philippineeaglefoundation.org/transfer-breeding-eagles-nowOver the past 35 years, the landscape around the PEC has changed so much that the threats to the captive breeding Philippine eagles are now at our doorstep.
Commercial and game farms have mushroomed in the area surrounding the PEC. Along with this, human activities increased. Avian flu continues to be one of the salient threats and such farms are breeding grounds for these diseases. Activities in adjacent farm lots such as hauling, land clearing, or the sound of chainsaws cause distress to the Philippine eagles. With all these changes, the woodland buffer that once served as a shield from such threats, has thinned out.
With the breeding season here, our Philippine eagles, especially the natural pairs, are vulnerable to disturbances. The noise from the activities in the adjacent farm lot divert their attention from breeding to fixating on the source of the disturbance instead. If this continues, we essentially lose potential hatchlings that could be released into the wild.
Hiyas and Magiting are in their 4th year but have yet to produce a fertile egg. Maslog and Mayumi are being paired. However promising the turn out may be, their breeding behaviors are susceptible to interruptions. While Ariela and MVP Matatag were able to produce a chick last year, we need to improve on successfully rearing their young to be fit for release in the forest. But the PEC is no longer viable for this.
We are currently working with the Davao City Government to move our breeding eagles to a public owned land in Brgy Eden, Toril. Based on a feasibility study we conducted on the area, it is viable for a breeding facility with an ideal altitude and forest cover which are on a par with the eagle’s natural habitat. However, the Usufruct Agreement with the City Government allowing us to use 13.46 ha of the 105-ha property, has yet to be released despite our plea for the emergency transfer of the eagles.
Equally important to securing the location, is generating the resources needed to get the work done. Please pitch in to this endeavor and together, let’s make this happen now. Supporting this campaign will lead to producing Philippine eagles that we can release in the forest in the future.
Please indicate that your donation is for this campaign by putting “#TransferBreedingEaglesNow” on the transaction notes.
Thank you,
The Philippine Eagle Foundation
