Philippine Eagle released in Aurora missing

MALOLOS, Philippines — As the country marked World Wildlife Day yesterday, the whereabouts and status of a Philippine Eagle named “Agawid” that was released in Aurora province in October 2017 remains uncertain.

Don Guevarra, information officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon, said the juvenile eagle was caught in June 2016 by a farmer in a snare or silo that was used for catching monkeys inside the Aurora Memorial National Park (AMNP).

Since the eagle was juvenile when snared, Guevarra raised the possibility that a pair of Philippine Eagles made the Sierra Madre Mountain range in Central Luzon their home.

The eagle was turned over to the DENR-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) based in Dingalan and later placed in the custody of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), where it was cared for until its release into the wild.

On Oct. 4, 2017, Agawid – which weighs 5.31 kilograms – was finally released in the wild and fitted with a radio transmitter to help DENR monitor the eagle’s activities.

Guevarra said the last sighting of Agawid was on July 31, 2019 within the stretch of Lamig Creek in AMNP. Since then, the transmitter attached to it has not been giving signals on its whereabouts.

Meanwhile, the alleged sighting of a Philippine Eagle in Angat watershed in Bulacan several months ago has not officially been confirmed by environment officials in the province.

It cannot be ascertained if it was Agawid, since Aurora is adjacent to Bulacan.