dailygaelley

The increase in human contact with wildlife resulting from forest encroachment and destruction of wildlife spaces intensifies the risk of diseases to jump from animals to humans according to the World Health Organization. The spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 is a blaring alarm that our exploitation of nature has taken a toll on us. However, as we confront the consequences of a global pandemic, the protection of wildlife and our forests are backburnered. 

On Philippine Eagle Week (PEW), we emphasize what we firmly believe that our wellbeing is inextricably linked with the health of our forests and wildlife. With the Philippine eagle as our flagship for conservation, we underscore the critical need to invest in actions that not only address the economic impact of COVID-19, but also support the protection of the eagle, its habitat, and our biodiversity in minimizing the risk of future pandemics. 

With the country far from being out of the woods with the pandemic, challenges continue to mount for the PEF. While the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) has re-opened after shutting down for almost 7 months, the PEF has yet to recoup the losses from the entrance fees and will not be able to do so soon with the ongoing crisis. There is also the diminished financial support from crisis-stricken donors in the private sector. On top of depleting resources, travel restrictions and health risks also make our fieldwork logistics and mobility even more difficult. 

Amid these challenges, we are faced with an unprecedented spike in Philippine Eagle rescues. Since April 2020, cases are at the highest with ten eagles in just one year. This tells us of the troubling frequency of humans encountering eagles in the forests and that the eagles are still being shot and trapped. But how do these turn of events – the increase in rescues and the pandemic impact the mission moving forward? 

In the upcoming PEW 2021, we bring to the forefront the rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts as emergency response to the eagles that remain vulnerable in the wild. We aim to raise funds for two of our rescued Philippine Eagles this year- Salagbanog and Agsamon. Philippine Eagle Salagbanog was rescued from Maitum town in Sarangani Province on January 9. He underwent surgery to remove a marble lodged in his shoulder. After months of rehabilitation, he is finally ready to be released back to the wild. On February 26 Philippine Eagle Agsamon was rescued. The eaglet was estimated to be around 2-3 months old when it was found and is currently being reared at the Philippine Eagle Center. The PEF prepared several fundraising initiatives in order to help Salagbanog return home and sustain eaglet Agsamon during its stay at the PEC. 

The PEW 2021 is presented by the PEF together with PLDT, Inc., Ulticon Builders, Inc., Energy Development Corp., and with the support of FDC Ultities, Inc. 

Below is the line-up of activities for the Philippine Eagle Week 2021: