By Lilian Mellejor and Jessie Casalda
DAVAO CITY, Aug. 19 (PNA) — Philippine Eagle “Pamana” who was given his flight to freedom only last June 12, was found dead with a gunshot wound on his chest inside the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a supposed forever home for the country’s national bird being a UNESCO protected heritage site.
On August 16, the Philippine Eagle Foundation biologists and local forest guards found Pamana’s decomposing carcass near a creek below the thick forest where she was released two months ago in Barangay La Union, San Isidro town in Davao Oriental.
In a statement, the PEF said Pamana was being monitored since his flight to freedom by tracking radio signals from a miniature transmitter that is harnessed unto its back. Pamana is also being tracked through an additional miniature GPS satellite transmitter.
But on August 10, the PEF team noted the radio signals were in mortality mode, indicating that the unit has not moved for at least six hours. They suspected that the radio unit came off or the bird has died. This prompted the team to trace the location of the radio transmitter to find out what happened and that took them five days of scouring the forest before finding the dead eagle.
PEF reported that based from necropsy report of Dr. Ana Lascano, a veterinarian at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Baguio District, a 5mm bullet hole was on the right chest of the bird. A tiny metal fragment believed to be from a shattered gun pellet was also isolated from the carcass.
Lascano noted that Pamana could have suffered from “gunshot wound leading to possible trauma”.
It may be recalled that Pamana was released back into the wild after nearly three years of intensive rehabilitation.
Pamana was rescued as an eaglet in the mountain range of Gabunan in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte after suffering two gunshot wounds. Pamana was rehabilitated by PEF. Pamana recovered from minor bruises, trauma and superficial gunshot wounds.
PEF chose Mt. Hamiguitan as Pamana’s “forever home” because of its sprawling protected area covering about 32,000 hectares of vast tropical forest. Being inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, PEF saw the site ideal to become haven for the eagle without human disturbance.
Also, PEF considered the communities’ heightened level of awareness, the local wildlife protection enforcement as well as the commitment of the local government in choosing the site as an ideal and safe home for the eagle.
During Pamana’s release, Governor Corazon Malanyaon said the eagle was a new addition to the growing Philippine Eagle population soaring over the vast forests of Mount Hamiguitan. She said there are about 10 pairs of Philippine Eagle nesting in the forests of Davao Oriental, indicating the richness of biodiversity in the area.
The local government was doing necessary steps to scale up protection efforts by regulating the entry of people to the heritage site as well as strictly prohibiting mining and logging operations within the area.
San Isidro town has 12 registered “bantay gubat” or forest ranger who had undergone training from the PEF.
The release of Pamana was timed for the 117th anniversary of Philippine Independence as the eagle represents resilience and hope that Filipinos inherently possess.
Pamana was just one of the victims of shooting and trapping of the critically endangered bird. In 2013, Philippine Eagle Minalwang was also shot dead, just also two months after he was released into the wild after two years of rehabilitation in Misamis Oriental province on October 11, 2013.
The Philippine Eagle is considered as one of world’s three largest and most powerful eagles in the world and also the world’s rarest and “most critically endangered vertebrate species”. It has a wingspan of up to two meters or about seven feet which is the broadest in the world.
The Monkey-eating Eagle was renamed Philippine Eagle through Presidential Proclamation 1732 on May 8, 1978 and became the country’s national bird on July 4, 1995 through Presidential Proclamation No. 615.
Republic Act No. 6147 promulgated on November 9, 1970 also declared the species as protected bird in the Philippines and mandated the DENR to rule for its preservation.
General Administrative Order No. 1 on May 10, 1971 which established “several steps to protect the eagle in its nesting sites, and deputized officials to enforce the provisions of the law.”
The protection of the Philippine Eagles was further strengthened by Republic Act 9147 or Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, containing penal provisions for those who violate the law such as killing of protected animal species which carries the penalty of up to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of up to P1 million. (PNA)