Keeping Hope

Taking care of the Philippine Eagle means more than work; it's keeping hopes alive for the endangered species' survival.
     
Debbie A. Uy | Oct. 16, 2009, Davao City


It is breeding season at the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City, southern Philippines, and senior animal keeper Eddie Juntilla is in just after the sun rises. He is busy at this time, caring for three magnificent Philippine eagles – endangered species endemic to the Philippines. As human surrogate partner of male eagles Pag-asa, Pagkakaisa, and female Kahayag, Juntilla spends at least one hour with each eagle as part of imprinting.

Imprinting is the process of developing a relationship between a captive animal and human for the purpose of artificial insemination. The human caretaker collects semen from the eagle and inseminates this to the female bird.

Imprinting is similar to courtship, and during the breeding season from June to January, Juntilla practices courtship behavior to the eagles. To male eagles, he is the female; to the female, he is male. He brings twigs and leaves to the eagles to make as nest. He brings food such as rabbit, white rat, horse meat, and goat meat. In the wild, male eagles hunt food for females. The captive Pag-asa practices this natural food transfer behavior by leaving half of his food for his partner Juntilla.





Pag-asa was the first Philippine Eagle bred and hatched in captivity through artificial insemination. His birth and picture – a fluffy white chick and dark curved beak – made headlines; his name, Filipino for “hope,” spoke of the desire that the critically endangered species could still be saved.

Pag-asa was born on January 15, 1992 to parents Junior and Diola. Since then, 22 eagles have been born at the center. One of them is Pag-asa’s brother, Pagkakaisa (Unity), hatched nine months after him.

Juntilla has worked at the Philippine Eagle Foundation for 23 years. He was initially assigned to prepare food, feed the animals, and landscape the area. Today aside from being senior animal keeper, Juntilla oversees incubation and chick rearing. Pag-asa was born after he and a colleague returned from an egg management training abroad. Juntilla counts Pag-asa’s birth as the most unforgettable part of being his keeper. He’s taken care of Pag-asa since, from feeding to breeding.

Now 17, Pag-asa is a little overweight at 5.9 kilos, says Juntilla. The average male weighs 5 kilos; females 7 kilos. He easily gets tired after flying, says Juntilla. He knows this when Pag-asa opens his beak – a sign that the eagle is panting.



Juntilla wears a thick padded leather jacket and glove whenever he enters the eagles’ cages. It serves as his protection when the eagle mounts or perches on his arm and head. The glove and jacket’s hood are marked with pecks from the eagle’s large beak. Juntilla tried to change the glove but Pag-asa would not come near it. So he uses the mended old one.

The jacket and glove serve not only as protection but as the keeper’s identity. If the keeper needs to be out, someone else can wear the leather jacket and glove. But that doesn’t assure the eagle will respond.

To Juntilla, the most important part of his job as caretaker is to help produce an offspring. But Pag-asa is not producing enough semen yet to inseminate to a female eagle. That’s why the center prohibits disturbing eagles during the breeding season. Only keepers are allowed near them.

“It’s important Pag-asa has an offspring,” says Juntilla. “We hope it happens someday.”

The exact number of Philippine Eagles is unknown; at the center, there are 34. Estimates range from 180 to 500. The eagles’ existence is threatened by deforestation brought about by illegal logging, mining, agricultural expansion, and overpopulation. The Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of the Philippines punishes those who kill endangered species with jail or a huge penalty. Yet Philippine Eagles are still caught, shot, even eaten, despite public education about the eagles and the Philippine Eagle Foundation’s community-based initiatives.

On July 2008, the eagle Kagsabua – released in March after being rescued and treated – was shot with an air gun by a 22-year-old who cooked the eagle into a soup. In September this year, a wounded eagle was rescued by the Philippine Eagle Foundation but it too died.

Breeding eagles in captivity then becomes ever important as the eagles remain critically endangered. One hopes the Philippine Eagle survives long so future generations can see for themselves why famous aviator Charles Lindbergh called it the “world’s noblest flyer.”