• by IPS Correspondents (davao city, philippines)
• Saturday, December 17, 1994
• Inter Press Service

DAVAO CITY, Philippines, Dic 17 (IPS) - Diola died almost a year ago, but she is still sorely missed by the people at the Philippine Eagle Foundation Inc (PEFI).

The mother of two Philippine eagles born in captivity here, Diola had been donated to the PEFI in the 1970s. She had been captured as a chick by a member of a wealthy family, fed good food and had only one caretaker.

In 1992, Diola hatched two eggs at PEFI's Philippine Eagle Nature Centre in the southern city of Davao, producing 'Pag-Asa' or Hope in January, then 'Pagkakaisa' or Unity ten months later.

These were the first endangered Philippine eagles (Pithecophaga jeffreyi) hatched and bred in captivity after 14 years of conservation work. Both were also the results of artificial insemination. Another captive bird, Jun-jun, acted as father.

"Diola was totally 'imprinted' to her human caretaker," says PEFI executive director Dennis Salvador. "She would voluntarily raise her tail for insemination."

But the friendly eagle died last January at 25 years, although Philippine eagles can live up to 60 years old. The bird died of fatty liver degeneration -- a result of eating too much. At the centre, the eagles are fed chickens, rabbits, pigs and goats.

Had Diola lived a decade more, she could have produced, at two eggs a year, at least 20 more Philippine eagles. Says Domingo Tadena, deputy director for PEFI's captive breeding operations: "She was a prolific bird, a very good breeder."

"Her death set back our breeding programme," says Salvador. "We are still trying to familiarise other eagles to our caretakers."

There are 18 Philippine eagles -- known more among Filipinos as the 'monkey eating eagle' -- in captivity. Sixteen of them are here at the centre. According to Salvador, there are less than 100 of these eagles left, down from about 500 more than a decade ago. As of the end of 1993, 47 eagles had been accounted for in the wild.

Habitat loss and degradation are the more serious threats to Philippine eagle populations. Philippine forest cover has dwindled from 57 percent in the 1930s to less than 25 percent today.

Last June, loggers illegally cut a tree that had an eagle's nest and was under the PEFI protection programme. The loggers were armed and those guarding the nest could not fight back.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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