SINABADAN was only seven months old when its father was shot and killed in 2014. After two years, covered with thick white-and-brown feathers, claws sharp and strong, with a completely grown feather tails and wings that span like most juveniles eagle, Sinabadan is now ready to leave her nest and explore the world on her own.
The story of Sinabadan offers a ray of hope for the conservation of her species, the Philippine Eagle.
Scientifically named Pithecophaga jefferyi, the Philippine Eagle is endemic to the Philippines. It is the rarest of all birds of prey and considered as the largest in the world.
The population of the Philippine Eagle, only about 400 pairs left in the wild, are concentrated in the main islands of Luzon and Mindanao, and in Samar and Leyte provinces in the Visayas.
Unfortunately, the Philippine Eagle, also called the monkey-eating eagle, is considered still critically endangered or in the brink of extinction, said Dennis Salvador, executive director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).
Single parent
Sinabadan, named after an indigenous people’s group in Davao, is, perhaps, the first of her species ever to be raised by a single parent, PEF said. The group has documented Sinabadan’s young life.
Sinabadan lost her father, Sibulan, to hunters in August 2014. A team from the PEF came looking for Sibulan and discovered the eagle’s carcass.
Necropsy report on Sibulan revealed he died of a gunshot wound in the head, which killed him instantly. Since the demise of Sibulan, the unnamed mother of Sinabadan was forced to fend for the young eaglet on her own.
Senseless killing
Most eagles killed by hunters are victims of senseless killing, Salvador said. Nearly half of the total of 16 rescued eagles that were released into the wild were shot and killed after a few months upon their release, he noted.
“Many of those we rescued and released back into the wild were killed. The primary survival issue is human persecution,” he added. He said the eagle’s habitats, especially in Mindanao, have fragmented forest.
Healthy eagle
Despite being raised by a single parent, Sinabadan is healthy, said Ana Maria I. Lascano, field and attending veterinarian of the PEF.
In her report, Lascano said Sinabadan is “apparently bright, alert and responsive, with good appetite and in good state of health” before she was released on the same day upon examination.
The PEF closely monitored several eagles, including Sibulan, through a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) transmitter, or tracking device, to determine the eagles’ exact location and the areas they had been to. GPS transmitters help scientists study animal behavior in the wild by knowing where they go, how long they stay in a place, or where they spent the night or day to rest.
“It [Sinabadan] could have not survived had its mother decided to abandon it, which is commonly observed among the species,” Jayson Ibanez of PEF’s Research and Conservation Department said.
Healthy ecosystem
Fortunately, he said, the mother and young female eagles’ territory represents a healthy ecosytem.
“Timely, maybe, that the forest is abundant with local food source. The mother eagle had to work double time to bring food to Sinabadan to feed it,” Ibanez said.
PEF’s partners on the ground spotted the mother eagle bringing bats, flying lemurs, and, on one time, a monkey to her nest to feed Sinabadan.
It takes both the male and the female to incubate and take care of their young, taking turns during the incubation period and in finding food for their young until they are old enough to hunt on their own. Mother eagles do most of the work, but without the father eagle, incubation and nurturing would be impossible—except in the case of Sinabadan.
Unique breeding
The Philippine Eagle’s unique breeding habit makes the Philippine Eagle prone to extinction, Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
“Normally, when one of the parent eagles die, no matter how hard the surviving parent works, the eaglet also dies. Even if it survives, the eaglet becomes malnourished and would not be able to survive on its own,” Lim said.
She said an eagle needs to feed on protein-rich food, which both parent eagles should be able to provide to ensure the eaglet becomes strong and survive.
“Most carnivorous animals are dependent on their parents. Some birds take months to survive. The Philippine Eagle takes longer, and the eaglet needs to feed a lot to become strong and healthy,” she said.
Survival of the fittest
It will not be long when Sinabadan’s mother would be ready to find a mate and, hopefully, breed again. The PEF received reports from community partners who also serve as forest guards that the mother was flying with another adult eagle.
The increased aerial displays, frequent stay near the nest and nest-building activity, mark the start of the courtship period for this rare species. Courtship among Philippine Eagles, particularly in Mindanao, usually starts in July.
Soon, Sinabatan’s mother and her new partner would be fixing their own nest, hauling nesting materials and would be ready to lay egg again.
Meanwhile, Sinabadan is starting to hunt farther and farther away from her nest. Eagles are territorial raptors. For a pair to survive, they have to defend their territories, which usually covers 7,000 to 13,000 hectares.
Ibanez said that, in some cases, when the ecosystem is very healthy and preys are abundant, 5,000 hectares would do.
Elimination of the weak
Ibanez said it would take at least three more years before Sinabadan would be old enough to breed, if it is able find a mate and, more important, survive in the wild.
The first few months after an eaglet leaves its nest are crucial. This is the time that the eagle has to find its own prey and feed or defend itself from other predators—including humans.
An eagle learns and enhances its survival instinct during this period. Those that are not strong enough either die of hunger or fall prey to other predators, either animals or and humans. Many young eagles have fallen prey to hunters.
PEF records reveal that most of the eagles it has rescued from captivity or injuries sustained from bullet wounds have died.
“Half of the 16 eagles we have rescued and released back into the wild have been killed after a few months,” Salvador said.
Since 2000, the PEF has tagged a total of 17 eagles, but only four remain active.
These include Sinabadan and its mother, and two other eagles in Mount Kimangkil, Bukidnon, and in Pudtol, Apayao, Ibanez said.
Community support
Also crucial to Sinabadan’s survival, like other Philippine Eagles, is the support of the communities and the enforcement of environmental laws, Salvador said.
In most cases, indigenous peoples (IPs) hunt down the eagles or are helping hunters find the eagle. In the case of Sinabadan, the communities were tapped as forest guards and protectors of the Philippine Eagle.
In 2010, as part of its effort to protect and conserve the species and their habitats, the PEF has partnered with IPs under its Indigenous Forest Guard Program.
A total of 647 indigenous forest guards from eight ethno-linquistic groups in 24 villages are currently actively protecting 18 Philippine eagle-nesting territories.
Altogether, the forest guards monitor wildlife and habitats, and help enforce laws in over 74,000 hectares of forest habitats, according to PEF. Information, education and communication and, more important, livelihood support to the communities is crucial to wildlife protection and conservation program, Salvador said.
He said the PEF is strengthening its partnership with IP communities as part of their social preparation for the inevitable influx of tourists—including bird watchers and photographers—who would soon be rushing for adventure once they learn of the eagle’s location.
There is hope for the Philippine Eagle, Salvador said, as long as their habitats remain intact and the people keeps their distance, or better, stay away from wild animal’s marked territories.
Image credits: John McKean