3 PH eagles transferred to Mahagnao, Leyte from Davao

PEF photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced on Saturday, March 22, that it has transferred three of its birds from its center in Davao to Mahagnao in Leyte province.

According to PEF, those that were moved were Lakpue, Lyra Sinabadan and Kalatungan 1.

The birds came from the National Bird Breeding Sanctuary and the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao.

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Their transfer was in line with the foundation’s reintroduction program’s second year.

“They went through health checks before being placed in their acclimation enclosures in preparation for their eventual release into the wild,” the foundation said in an advisory that was posted on its Facebook page on Saturday.

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PEF’s Philippine Eagle Reintroduction Program was launched last year, along with the release of Carlito and Uswag.

However, PEF disclosed that only Carlito was able to adapt to the Mahagnao landscape.

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Uswag, on the other hand, “wandered too far from the site” and “drowned near the coast of Baybay in Leyte.”

Bonding experiment

“To prevent another loss, the Philippine Eagle Foundation adopted the Philippine Eagle Bonding Experiment,” read part of the foundation’s advisory.

The experiment is “a strategy to foster social relationships and increase survival among the released birds by helping them to pair up and hunt together, and stay within their habitat,” it noted.

PEF also revealed that Lakpue (male) will be introduced as a potential mate for Carlito.

Meanwhile, Lyra Sinabadan (female) and Kalatungan 1 (juvenile male) “will form a cohort bond, coexisting harmoniously without mating,” the foundation said.

“But as the former matures, their relationship may evolve into a mating partnership,” it added.