Vizcaya villagers save ailing eaglet
10/27/2009 | 02:06 PM
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A sick Philippine Serpent Eagle has been nursed back to health in the northern province of Nueva Vizcaya, thanks to quick-thinking villagers who reported it to authorities.
The bird was spotted on Monday by Jonafe Guadilla, an 8-year old girl from remote Cutar village in Aritao town, as it limped towards a river.
With the help of a neighbor, the girl took the ailing eaglet home and showed it to village elders.
One village councilor reportedly wanted to sell the bird instead of surrendering it to the proper authorities, prompting an elder named Pastor Hermogenes Andrada to call GMANews.TV for assistance and to help them decide what to do with it.
Robert Viernes of the provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Parks and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), where the bird was immediately brought, identified the bird as a Philippine Serpent Eagle.
He said the eaglet was very weak and severely dehydrated, and needed to be treated by animal doctors before it can be returned to its habitat.
Provincial Veterinarian Crisanto Seraspi and his staff immediately administered medicine and vitamins to the sick bird. He said the eaglet will be released back to its natural habitat as soon as it recovers.
Seraspi said the bird does not belong to an endangered species but “if their habitats are continuously disturbed, then the species may soon end up being imperiled by irresponsible human activities."
Philippine Serpent Eagles are found in major islands of the Philippines, usually in forest clearings and open woodlands where they hunt snakes and lizards.
DENR officials said two other Philippine serpent eagles were found in Nueva Vizcaya last year, and the bird recovered on Monday was the second this year. All birds are eventually released in the forests of Sta. Fe town with the help of its mayor Florante Gerdan. - FLORO TAGUINOD, GMANews.TV
The bird was spotted on Monday by Jonafe Guadilla, an 8-year old girl from remote Cutar village in Aritao town, as it limped towards a river.
With the help of a neighbor, the girl took the ailing eaglet home and showed it to village elders.
One village councilor reportedly wanted to sell the bird instead of surrendering it to the proper authorities, prompting an elder named Pastor Hermogenes Andrada to call GMANews.TV for assistance and to help them decide what to do with it.
Robert Viernes of the provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Parks and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), where the bird was immediately brought, identified the bird as a Philippine Serpent Eagle.
He said the eaglet was very weak and severely dehydrated, and needed to be treated by animal doctors before it can be returned to its habitat.
Provincial Veterinarian Crisanto Seraspi and his staff immediately administered medicine and vitamins to the sick bird. He said the eaglet will be released back to its natural habitat as soon as it recovers.
Seraspi said the bird does not belong to an endangered species but “if their habitats are continuously disturbed, then the species may soon end up being imperiled by irresponsible human activities."
Philippine Serpent Eagles are found in major islands of the Philippines, usually in forest clearings and open woodlands where they hunt snakes and lizards.
DENR officials said two other Philippine serpent eagles were found in Nueva Vizcaya last year, and the bird recovered on Monday was the second this year. All birds are eventually released in the forests of Sta. Fe town with the help of its mayor Florante Gerdan. - FLORO TAGUINOD, GMANews.TV
