Saving Kabugao the Philippine Eagle

A composite team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local governments of Apayao and Kabugao, the non-profit Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and concerned citizens nursed a critically endangered Philippine Eagle back to health after the eagle was rescued from a farmer in Barangay Bulu of Kabugao town in Apayao province last March 19.According to Ariel Puglay Silaw, a 38-year-old resident of Brgy. Bulu, he accidentally caught Philippine Eagle“Kabugao” on March 16 in a nylon noose trap or silo he installed to capture wild pigs in the forests of Mt. Mabagyaw.

He reported about the eagle to the City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) Conner staff on March 18. While in his custody, Ariel kept the bird in a small wooden crate sealed with planks of wood. According to Ariel, he gave the eagle duck meat as food.

By 5 a.m. of March 19, PENRO Apayao Rainier Balbuena, PEF staff Guiller Opiso and Susanna Legaspi and provincial veterinarians in Apayao restrained and rescued the eagle. The bird was docile and did not resist capture, which indicated that the eagle was weak and might be in pain. The team brought the distressed eagle to Laoag City for x-ray, medical assessment and temporary rehabilitation.

PEF’s Opiso and Algen Agua restrained and put a hood to calm the eagle. X-rays were taken of Kabugao at the Ranada Hospital, and three air gun bullets lodged underneath the skin of the eagle were seen in the plates. The absence of fresh entry wounds suggested that the bird was shot a considerably long time ago. Fortunately, no bone fractures were noted.

The physical examination was undertaken by veterinarian couple Mary Jane and Cristopher Galvez of the Laoag City Veterinary Clinic, with PEF’s veterinary consultant Dr. Bayani Vandenbroeck teleconsulting via GoogleMeet from Davao City. DENR CAR staff Dorothy Cayaba and Marcos Bias assisted during the examination.

The eagle had an inflamed left shank (leg) with slight hematoma, ruffled feathers indicating stress, a prominent “brood patch” indicating that the eagle is female and may have been incubating an egg or brooding a very young chick when captured. There were maggots and flies at its inguinal region. The vet couple administered first aid and gave fluids, antibiotics and vitamins.

The vet couple secured blood samples and cloacal and oral swabs too. The samples were then brought to the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) of the Bureau of Animal Industry in Carig, Tuguegarao City for avian flu and New Castles disease screening. Blood samples were also sent to the UP Diliman Institute of Biology in Quezon City for confirmatory DNA sexing.

PEF field biologist Rowell Taraya did the feather count and found complete sets of left and right feather wings with a growing no. 2 primary feather at the right wing and a complete set of tail feathers with one distorted feather at the right side.

While awaiting the completion of a proper rehabilitation pen in Brgy. Bulu, Kabugao was kept in a cage at the residence of Jacky Obay in Laoag City from March 19 to 25, under the care of PEF biologist Susana Legaspi.

The eagle was given 400 grams of beef on her first day and 150-200 grams of rabbit meat on the following days. The eagle was given 50 mg of Enrofloxacin (broad spectrum antibiotics) for the first three days, 0.2ml of Meloxicam (anti-inflammatory) for four days and a sustenance of Nutripet vitamins.

Remarkably, the bird showed signs of quick recovery even while in Laoag City. From a generally docile bird during its rescue, the bird increasingly became active and aggressive. From an admission weight of 5.75 kg right after its rescue, the bird’s weight increased to 6.0 kg by the time it was transported to Brgy. Bulu for its full rehabilitation.

Her daily behavioral repertoire also diversified to leaps from the ground to the perch and back, grabbing the cyclone wire and hanging by the wall for a minute or so, and active cresting and occasional wing slaps whenever we approached the cage to provide food. The swelling on its left shank subsided in just a few days, and it appeared that she was no longer in pain.

A more suitable rehabilitation pen was completed by the Kabugao and Apayao LGUs at Brgy. Bulu and the eagle was transferred from Laoag City to Brgy. Bulu, Kabugao, Apayao on March 26. She is being daily monitored by PEF staff and a rotation of personnel from DENR Apayao, CENRO Calanasan and CENRO Conner.

Kabugao has been observed to be very agile in her new enclosure, flying and leaping from the ground, perch and food platform, and flying towards the screen of the cage in an apparent attempt to set itself free. She is restless. She has been able to consistently catch and handle live rabbits as prey on March 28, 30 and April 1. Thereafter, she was given 300 grams of rabbit and goat meat.

Kabugao has fully recovered and is cleared of avian flu and New Castles disease by BAI Region 2. She will be released back to her suspected territory in Kabugao on April 12. A solar-powered GPS-GSM tracker will be installed on her, backpack style, before her release.

*      *      *

Dr. Jayson Ibañez is director for Operations of the Philippine Eagle Foundation.