Philippine Eagle Dies from Gunshot Wound

COTABATO CITY — Environmentalists and civil society organizations mourned the death of “Mangayon,” a Philippine Eagle, after it succumbed to injuries from a gunshot wound. The eagle was under the care of the Davao City-based Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).

According to Philippines News Agency, DENR-PENRO Davao de Oro, the wounded eagle was found in the custody of an Army patrol base in Barangay Mangayon, Compostela town. Soldiers discovered the weakened eagle with an apparent left-wing injury on the ground in Bermuda, a part of Barangay Mangayon.

PEF Senior Animal Keeper Dominic Tadena and PEF Senior Biologist Rowell Taraya rushed to Compostela Valley to retrieve the injured eagle for further medical examination. The team found the eagle being cradled by a soldier, lying lethargically with its leg tied and covered with a red shirt.

Mangayon, a male eagle, had a prominent open injury on its left wing. Initial assessments revealed the eagle weighed five kilograms and had a body condition score of 1, indicating slight thinness and dehydration. Despite transportation to Davao City for further medical attention, Mangayon remained lethargic throughout the trip.

Upon arrival, medical examinations revealed severe damage, with shattered bones in the left tarsal joints. Dr. Bayani Vandenbroeck, the PEF veterinarian, found an entry wound in the left tarsal area of the wing, with the injury extending to the left keel area. At 9:49 p.m. on July 8, Mangayon succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased.

“The necropsy results revealed that Mangayon was a healthy male eagle with all internal organs in good condition. The primary cause of death was severe blood loss from the wounds in the left wing, with a high probability of sepsis stemming from the injuries,” the PEF said.

This incident marks the fourth case of a rescue attempt in 2024 involving Philippine Eagles wounded by gunshots, following the rescues of Eagles “Lipadas” in Mt. Apo in January and “Kalatungan” of Bukidnon and “Nariha Kabugao” in Apayao last March.

The PEF has appealed for increased government intervention to save the critically endangered national bird. “We need to level up our interventions, but we need to do it soon,” said Dennis Salvador, the PEF executive director, stressing the need for support from local and national government units.

“The civil society sector can only do so much. There should also be additional financing to a systematic and nationwide species survival campaign before it’s too late for our national bird,” Salvador added.