I recently visited the Philippine Eagle Centre in Davao on the island of Mindanao where I was taken on a guided tour around the sanctuary’s impressive grounds as well as given an insight into their captive breeding program. The back drop to the Eagle Centre and Davao City is the majestic 3000m tall Mt Apo which is affectionately known as grandfather. The mountain has been a safe haven for the Philippine Eagle until recently when fire destroyed much of the vegetation on the slopes and surrounding area. The Philippine Government was quick to restrict travel to the peak until the vegetation is able to regenerate. The Philippine Eagle can be found in small pockets over most of the Philippine archipelago but its numbers are dwindling due to deforestation, and hunting. Anyone caught hunting the eagle faces large fines, and up to 12 years imprisonment. It is estimated that only 400 pairs of this extraordinary animal remain in the wild. The Philippine Eagle Centre in Davao was specifically designed to reintroduce the Philippine Eagle through its captive breeding program back into the wild. The Centre’s star attraction is 14-year-old captive bred Mindanao who sits contentedly on log out in the open for all to enjoy. Visitors to the Centre are restricted from getting too close to him, but I was given special permission to get up very close and personal for this photo shoot. I was so captivated by this magnificent raptor that I was reluctant to leave him. The Centre is home to 36 Philippine Eagles, 18 of which have been bred in captivity. The Philippine Eagle Foundation is ensuring that this impressive animal which grows to 102cm and weighs as much as 8kg has a future. Every egg laid at the Eagle Centre is treasured by staff like gold, and incubated in its onsite laboratory so that hatchlings survive the critical gestation period. Every rare hatchling is kept out of sight of human beings so that the eaglet doesn’t form an attachment or bond to people, and this procedure gives the raptor every possible chance of surviving in the wild on its own. Staff couldn’t tell me how many Philippine Eagles had been successfully released into the wild, only that it takes years before the larger female accepts a male for breeding purposes in captivity. Initially, male and female are separated in large aviaries until they show signs of acceptance of one another. While I was at the Philippine Eagle Centre, the staff were excited because two Philippine Eagles had been paired together to breed. I suspect the Centre has no intention of releasing Philippine Eagles into the wild when there is money to be made seeing them in captivity. However, the fact that Philippine Eagles are being bred in captivity is to be applauded. Jens Ward
Words ④ Wildlife