The first Philippine eagle bred in captivity has sired her first offspring, in what conservationists said Thursday was a small victory in efforts to save one of the world's rarest raptors.
The bird was hatched after a dramatic wait on February 9 at the Philippine Eagle Foundation in the southern island of Mindanao, the group's executive director Dennis Salvador told AFP.
"This is a triumph for the Philippine Eagle, but there is still a long way to go to for these majestic creatures to grow in number in the wild," Salvador said.
"It (the bird) is in very good condition, although we had a very problematic hatch -- we waited with baited breath for it to finally come out of the shell," he said.
The chick's mother is an eagle named Pag-asa (Hope) that was the first raptor bred in captivity at the centre in 1992, Salvador said.
The Philippine eagle, or Pithecophaga jefferyi, found only in the country's vanishing forests, is the world's largest eagle and is considered "critically endangered".
With a distinctive shaggy and cream-coloured crest, the raptor grows to up to 3.35 feet (one metre) in length with a wing span of up to seven feet.
According to the foundation and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there are only about between 180 to 500 pairs in the wild, mostly in the lush jungles of Mindanao, the country's main southern island.
The new hatchling is only the 25th bred in captivity at the centre, which has a total 37 of the eagles.
It took about 48 hours for the chick to emerge from the shell from the time it began breaking its way out, Salvador said.
"This underscores the fact that breeding these birds in captivity remains difficult," he said. "We are certainly a long way off in coping with losses in the wild."
Conservationists said decreasing forest cover and hunting by humans either for sport or food were to blame for the decreasing numbers.
In 2012, a court fined a 26-year-old man some 2,300 dollars for shooting and then eating an eagle that had previously been cared for by the foundation, triggering an uproar.
AFP
Thu Feb 14 2013
10 Berita Pilihan - (16 Julai 2024
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
PAC beri tempoh tiga bulan kepada HRD Corp
Jawatankuasa Kira-kira Wang Negara (PAC) memberi tempoh tiga bulan kepada Perbadanan Pembangunan Sumber Manusia (HRD Corp) untuk mengemukakan laporan tindakan susulan terhadap syor jawatankuasa itu.
Kylian Mbappe tandatangan kontrak dengan Real Madrid
Bintang bola sepak Perancis Kylian Mbappe menandatangani kontrak selama lima tahun dengan kelab Sepanyol Real Madrid pada Selasa.
Pelepasan ketujuh air sisa nuklear Fukushima ke laut selesai
Jepun telah menyelesaikan pusingan ketujuh pelepasan air sisa radioaktif yang dirawat dari loji kuasa nuklear Fukushima Daiichi ke Lautan Pasifik pada Selasa.
Empat termasuk kapten maut dalam pertempuran
Empat anggota tentera India termasuk kapten meninggal dunia akibat kecederaan selepas pertempuuran pada malam isnin di Hutan Desa.
Pakistan sahkan 4 warganya terbunuh di Oman
Pakistan berkata pada Selasa empat warganya terbunuh dalam insiden tembakan pada malam Isnin berhampiran ibu negara Oman, Muscat.
Lima terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh
Sekurang-kurangnya empat orang terbunuh dan puluhan lagi cedera dalam pertempuran antara pelajar yang memprotes sistem kuota dalam pekerjaan sektor awam dan polis di pelbagai bahagian Bangladesh pada Selasa.
Kerajaan cadang perkenal pembiayaan swasta
Kerajaan menyasarkan untuk memperkenalkan pembiayaan swasta alternatif bagi memastikan kemampanan kewangan program sektor air, sekali gus mengurangkan kebergantungan pada perbelanjaan kerajaan dan mengukuhkan daya tahan.
Saya tak fitnah Guan Eng, cuma jelaskan siasatan SPRM - Muhyiddin
Presiden Bersatu Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin memberitahu Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur hari ini bahawa beliau tidak memfitnah Lim Guan Eng berhubung isu pengecualian cukai terhadap Yayasan Albukhary
KPT alu-alukan dapatan, cadangan PAC - Zambry
Ini termasuklah cadangan pelaksanaan Garis Panduan Pelaburan dan Pembiayaan oleh Universiti Awam 2024 kepada anak-anak syarikat di bawah seliaan Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT).