Pag-asa, first Philippines Eagle bred in captivity, turns 24

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The celebrated Philippine Eagle Pag-asa, the first to be successfully bred and hatched in captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Calinan district here, turns 24 years old today.

Dennis Salvador, executive director of the non-profit Philippine Eagle Foundation, said that public awareness of the conservation efforts of the endangered giant raptor increased after Pag-asa’s birth.

“Pag-asa, whose name means hope, has continued to inspire and encourage us to keep strengthening our efforts in the captive breeding program,” Salvador said.

The foundation has produced 26 eagles through its captive breeding program since Pag-asa. The 26th eaglet is now 38 days old and has been kept in an enclosed room at the center.  

Pag-asa was the first offspring of Philippine Eagles Diola and Junior, the sperm donor. Diola was 29 years old when she laid the egg. The parent eagles are among the most active in the gene pool of the Malagos eagle center, producing several eaglets in the following years. 

Salvador said Pag-asa is unsuitable for release to the wild and will remain in captivity due to its dependence on humans, particularly its keeper Eddie Juntilla, on whom it has imprinted since birth.

Aside from being the first to be born in captivity, Pag-asa also made history by having her first chick on Feb. 9, 2013 through artificial insemination. Her offspring was named Mabuhay.

The Philippine Eagle was declared the country’s national bird, replacing the Maya, in 1995 by former president Fidel Ramos. Its population is estimated at below 500 pairs, with 34 kept at the Malagos center.

Most of the remaining Philippine Eagles have been sighted in the forests of Mindanao, Samar, Leyte and the Cordilleras.