ARENAS, RIO JANINA B.

                                                                                  ANG, FRANCIS
Eng 10 THY2                                                                                                     December 14, 2017

Conserving the Population of the Philippine Eagle

The Philippine Eagle (scientific name: Pithecophaga jefferyi) is a critically endangered

species according to the IUCN, just two categories before being declared extinct (“Pithecophaga

jefferyi”). There are estimated to be only about 250 to 750 individuals left in the wild

(“Pithecophaga jefferyi”). Conservation efforts started back in 1970 when the government

established the Monkey-eating Eagle Program. In August that same year, a Presidential

Administrative Order was passed prohibiting the harming, killing, trading, and possession of the

Eagle (“Administrative Order No. 235, s. 1970 | GOVPH”; Harder 78). Also in that year, under

Republic Act 6147, the Philippine Eagle (then, Monkey-eating Eagle) was proclaimed a

protected bird and was provided an appropriation of funds for its preservation (“REPUBLIC

ACTS.”; Harder et al. 78).

In the few times that the Philippine Eagle was featured in a news article, there were

mostly the articles that when a successful product of captive breeding was freed to roam in the

wild again, it gets shot and even eaten. The most recent report of a killed eagle was of the one

named Matatag, who was found dead with a bullet wound February last year (Badilla,

“Philippine Eagle 'Matatag' shot, wounded in Davao City”). One remarkable incident happened

back in 2008 where a farmer killed and ate an eagle after just four months of being released in

the wild, and was only fined a sum of P100,000 for the act (“Philippine farmer who shot, ate rare

eagle fined”).  These reports only show how we Filipinos are neglectful of our endemic species.

In addition to this, our knowledge of our species seems limited. These killings might be an
implication that we, as humans and as Filipinos, cannot grasp just how valuable these organisms

are.

Conservation efforts for the Philippine Eagle has been going on for almost fifty years

now, and there seems to be no change in the population of the Philippine Eagle since. There is no

remarkable decrease in the population, nor is there any significant increase. This paper explains

how captive breeding is the ultimate solution for the dwindling number of the Philippine Eagle in

the wild. This paper also discusses genetic problems that are entailed of keeping a small

population and breeding the individuals amongst themselves, or the repercussions of captive

breeding for a considerable amount of time. Lastly, this paper notes on some suggested methods

of conservation of the Philippine Eagle population.

1. Captive Breeding

Why keep the eagles in captivity in eagle centers? First, the eagles are given more attention

and care in conservation areas. The Philippine Eagle Center, for example, covers an 8.4-hectare

of land on the foot of Mt. Apo in Davao, Mindanao and is a population conservation, breeding,

and research facility of the Philippine Eagle (“Philippine Eagle Center (PEC)”). The

environment within the eagle rehabilitation center resembles the wild—it maintains a rainforest

flora, and most of the plants and animals found within the area are endemic (“Philippine Eagle

Center (PEC)”). The species research and conservation efforts are concentrated on the Philippine

Eagles alone. There is more human intervention in caring for the Philippine Eagles: a factor that

is crucial in the conservation of their species. This species is very particular in their sexual

behaviors, and the location of their nests. The Philippine Eagle is a monogamous species; it
typically nests on trees that are about thirty-five meters above the ground, and a female bird lays

an egg once or twice a year (Ibanez et al., “Notes on the Breeding Behavior of a Philippine Eagle

Pair at Mount Sinaka, Central Mindanao.”). They are more prone to threats like habitat loss due

to deforestation, and decreased population due to hunting if they were free to roam in the wild.

This center is also dedicated in educating about the eagle, and has become a tourist spot in Davao

(“Philippine Eagle Center (PEC)”).

Second, they are less likely to die in eagle centers or research facilities. There is only one

reported case of an eagle dying in the Philippine Eagle Center, and this is because of a branch of

a tree that fell down its cage during a typhoon (“Endangered Philippine eagle killed by falling

branch”). Its cause of death isn't caused by humans—it didn't die because of neglect or a badly

conducted experiment of researchers, as contrast to the two reported Philippine Eagles that died

because they were shot by farmers shortly after they were freed in the wild. In addition to this,

the reported longevity of the Philippine Eagles in captivity is over forty years (Luczon, “Genetic

diversity of the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle …”). This reported age is impressive

since Philippine Eagles are estimated to live between thirty to sixty years in the wild (“Philippine

eagle videos, photos and facts”). Due to illegal capture, an eagle might not even reach thirty

before getting killed in the wild and an eaglet trying to leave the nest might not even reach a year

before dying because of the cutting down of the tree where it is nested.

Third, the Philippine Eagle population will most likely flourish with the help of captive

breeding. Ever since the start of research and operations of the Philippine Eagle Center, there has

been 27 cases of successful breeding (“The Programs”). The first of these is Pag-asa, born on

1992.
 2. Main Problems with Captive Breeding

Although the sole breeding Philippine Eagles in captivity seems like the more consistent

path to population conservation of the Philippine Eagle since the conservation is more focused,

more directed, and more hands-on, there are reasons as to why the government could try

exploring other methods other than this.

First, there are the problems of funding. The government budget for the Philippine Eagle

conservation mainly comes from private organizations like the Philippine Eagle Foundation

(Harder et al. 81). The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) actively gets funding through

donations, entrance fees in the Philippine Eagle Center, and through the adopt-an-eagle

fundraiser where one eagle cost up to about $1000 (Harder et al. 79; “Philippine Eagle

Foundation - Donate”). The money raised in these programs are way below the ideal budget for

the PEF’s annual project profile. For example, the 2004 annual report indicates that the

foundation has raised PhP 17.5 million, while the ideal annual budget was PhP 139,588,774 in

2005 (Harder et al. 81, 84).

The lack of funding seems like a huge impediment but the lack of support from Filipinos

seems to be a bigger problem. A study in 2005 was made to determine whether Filipinos are

willing to pay for the cost of conserving the Philippine Eagle population. Of the surveyed 1,300

households of Manila and Davao City, less than 1% care about environmental problems, with

solid wastes as the number one concern and endangered species as the fifth (Harder et al. 87).

Moreover, only 24 percent of 200 household respondents have stated that they are willing to give

money for the conservation or any program of similar kind (Harder et al. 103).
 The second problem with captive breeding is the possibility of bottleneck effect. This

effect occurs when a size of a population suffers a drastic decrease due to either human activities

or environmental events. This will lead to less-varied genes across a population. The loss of

genetic variety may and will eventually lead to inbreeding and production of less viable

offspring. There’s a chance that a bottleneck effect will occur with captive bred populations.

However, the decrease in habitat have since caused a bottleneck effect (Luczon, “Genetic

diversity of the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle …”). The bottleneck effect that may

occur in breeding centers, therefore, should be attributed to the initial bottleneck caused by the

decrease of habitat of the eagles, instead of the captive breeding itself.

The third problem arises as the result of the bottleneck effect: the susceptibility of the

Philippine Eagle to various sickness since the population has significantly less genes, and

possibly no genes to ward off a viral sickness that might strike the population. This problem may

be solved through breeding of eagles between different breeding centers in addition to captive

breeding done in a single breeding center.

3. Other Proposed Methods of Conservation

In a thesis that is focused on the genetic diversity of the Philippine eagle, Luczon et al.

proposed protecting the nests of the Philippine Eagle as was done with the once endangered

species of White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) but this method is not as feasible as a method

of conservation since White-tailed eagle nests are associated with coastal areas and tall trees

(Evans 474) and therefore are relatively easier to locate than nests of Philippine Eagles

(Pithecophaga jefferyi) that are meters from the ground and are most likely covered by thick
canopy of dipterocarp trees (Luczon, “Genetic diversity of the Critically Endangered Philippine

Eagle …”). This method, therefore, demands dedication and consistency from the researchers

and field workers.

Another method proposed is more attention given to the protective areas, natural parks,

and sanctuaries of the country. The success of protective areas will not only result to the

conservation of Philippine Eagle, but also result to the conservation of other species. While this

is a more feasible proposal for conservation, this is not a direct solution. The breeding among the

eagles are not manipulated and will lead to no remarkable increase in the eagle population.

Agencies and organizations promoting conservation of the population of the Philippine Eagle

usually advocates also for the conservation of the Philippine forests. While making sure that

illegal logging, kaingin, or mining is controlled, or the activities decreased, there are no

assurances that there will be a stop to these activities. If, in some ideal condition, these

destructive forest activities were halted, there is still no guarantee that the conservation of the

Philippine Eagle population would be successful.

4. Conclusion

In the current state of our forests, and the dangers that the already small population of the

Philippine eagles are facing in the wild—illegal hunting, capture, and further loss of habitat—

captive breeding is the most effective method of saving the Philippine Eagle population. Captive

breeding will solve the population problem to a certain extent, but is not and should not be the

permanent cure for the decreasing eagle population. This method should be a temporary solution,
only until the Philippine Eagle population recovers to a state wherein they are no longer critically

endangered.

No matter how extensive a solution is executed to solve the decrease in the Philippine

Eagle population, if we—the only hope of our eagles—remain indifferent to their plight, that

solution would never suffice. We must realize that even though we bear no close resemblance to

a species, it is still our responsibility to come to their aid when they desperately need it, because

we are the only species who can do so and because we thrive in the same world as they do.
Bibliography

“Administrative Order No. 235, s. 1970 | GOVPH.” Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines, www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1970/08/25/administrative-order-no-235-s-
1970/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.
Badilla, Joselle R. “Philippine Eagle 'Matatag' shot, wounded in Davao City.” Inquirer News
Philippine Eagle Matatag shot wounded in Davao City Comments, newsinfo.
inquirer.net/768229/philippine-eagle-matatag-shot-wounded-in-davao-city. Accessed 19
Nov. 2017.
“Endangered Philippine eagle killed by falling branch.” Rappler, Agence France-Presse,
www.rappler.com/nation/48855-arakan-philippine-eagle-dead. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017
Evans, Richard J., et al. “Comparative nest habitat characteristics of sympatric White‐tailed
Haliaeetus albicilla and Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos in western Scotland.” Bird
Study, vol. 57, no. 4, 2010, pp. 473–482., doi:10.1080/00063657.2010.489317.
Harder, Dieldre S., et al. Willingness to pay for the conservation of endangered species in four
Asian countries. Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia, 2008.
Ibanez, Jayson., et al. “Notes on the Breeding Behavior of a Philippine Eagle Pair at Mount
Sinaka, Central Mindanao.” BioOne, www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1676/01-054?
prevSearch=. Accessed 19 Nov.
Luczon, Adrian U., et al. “Genetic diversity of the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle
Pithecophaga jefferyi (Aves: Accipitridae) and notes on its conservation.” Journal of
Threatened Taxa, vol. 6, no. 10, 26 Sept. 2014, pp. 6335–6344.,
doi:10.11609/jott.o3748.6335-44. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.
“Offspring for first captive-Bred Philippine eagle.” Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and
Technology, Agence France-Presse, phys.org/news/2013-02-offspring-captive-bred-
philippine-eagle.html. Accessed 18 Nov. 2017.
“Philippine Eagle Center (PEC).” Philippine Eagle Center - Philippine Eagle Foundation - The
official website of the Philippine Eagle Foundation,
www.philippineeaglefoundation.org/philippine-eagle-center. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.
“Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) - BirdLife species factsheet.” Bird Life International
Data Zone, datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22696012. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.
“Philippine Eagle Foundation - Donate.” Philippine Eagle Foundation, www.philippineeagle
foundation.org/donate. Accessed 18 Nov. 2017.
“Philippine eagle videos, photos and facts.” Arkive, www.arkive.org/philippine-
eagle/pithecophaga-jefferyi/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.
“Philippine farmer who shot, ate rare eagle fined.” Inquirer News Philippine farmer who shot ate
 rare eagle fined, Agence France-Presse, newsinfo.inquirer.net/199853/philippine-farmer-
who-shot-ate-rare-eagle-fined.
“Pithecophaga jefferyi .” Pithecophaga jefferyi (Great Philippine Eagle, Monkey-Eating Eagle,
Philippine Eagle), www.iucnredlist.org/details/22696012/0. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017
“REPUBLIC ACTS.” PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES AND CODES - CHAN ROBLES
VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY, www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno6147.html#.
WhpHz0qWZPY. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.
“The Programs.” Philippine Eagle Foundation, www.philippineeaglefoundation.org/programs.
Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.

ARENAS, RIO JANINA B.                                                                                   ANG, FRANCIS

Craft Essay: How Do You Write A Position Paper?

I’ve already known what I would write about for position paper even before writing my

concept paper. I was inspired by the movie Birdshot, but I think I was also moved by the efforts

of the PEF for conservation, and after reading my former professor’s study on the Philippine

eagle’s genome, I was alarmed because it shows just how much these eagles are vulnerable,

whether it be in a macroscopic or microscopic level. It also upset me that many were shot, just

because of curiosity or misidentification.

I encountered little problems writing the paper. Maybe the difficult part of it was how I

could explain technical terms like bottleneck effect or gene variation that are two terms that are

kind of exclusive to the natural sciences. Another problem is a way for me to connect this to

humanity, or how to make a scientific paper into one that has a nice touch of the humanities in it.

I’m just so glad that I’ve finished it. I didn’t do much for the revision—I just double-checked the

sources with the facts, I added a few sentences and phrases here and there. I’m just happy that

this sem’s over. I can finally buy gifts and enjoy the Christmas vacation. Merry Christmas to the

reader!