A coupling of endangered Philippine eagles (Pithecophaga jefferyi) was tracked late last week in a forested area in Bislig City’s Tinuy-an Falls.

“The eagles were tracked within the Tinuy-an Falls Protected Landscape in Barangay Burboanan, Bislig City,” the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bislig City said in a post on its Facebook Page Thursday (Feb. 4).

The endangered eagles sighted on January 28 were found to be incubating an egg, CENRO-Bislig said.

“The Philippine Eagle is rarest in the world and considered to be one of the largest and most powerful among forest raptors. The eagles in the wild are threatened daily by human activities,” it said.

It said the successful tracking of the Philippine eagles is the first time for the DENR in the protected area in Tinuy-an Falls.

“It is high time for the government, private sector, and the community to strengthen the conservation and rehabilitation of forest which could help save the Philippine Eagle,” CENRO-Bislig added.

Early last month, Philippine eagle Pag-asa passed away at age 28 in Davao City.

According to the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), the iconic eagle succumbed to infections associated with Trichomoniasis and Aspergillosis–diseases known to be fatal for raptors.

Born on Jan. 15, 1992, Pag-asa’s birth through artificial insemination was the result of 14 years of research and further strengthened PEF’s breeding program of three decades to boost the national bird’s population.

A Philippine eagle can live up to more than 40 years in captivity, while habitat destruction and poaching have pushed it to the brink of extinction. (PNA)