By Glen S. Ramos
SARANGANI – Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) head for research and development Dr. Jayson Ibañez yesterday disclosed that they could not yet identify with certainty the cause of death of the Philippine eagle found in Barangay Daliao, Municipality of Maasim this province on Monday, September 21, 2022.
Ibañez said the organs of the deceased female eagle are already in the state of decomposition which is why it was difficult to examine it, also there are no signs of bodily harm.
“It was a bit too late to do a necropsy because it was already dead and the eagle was not emaciated or physically struggling. We could have made an examination of its internal organs and key evidence of disease whether viral or bacterial,” he stated in an interview.
A resident found the eagle along the shoreline of Purok Maguid at around 9:30 AM. It was immediately brought to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office before it was turned over to the PEF on September 20, 2022, for post-mortem examination.
PEF said the eagle is the third case of an eagle found in the coastal areas of Maasim.
The deceased eagle was estimated to be around three to four years old which meant that it was still immature or nearing adulthood. It also was a floater, meaning without a mate and an established territory yet.
Ibañez said that the PEF will have to conduct further consultation with experts in order to fully understand the cases of Philippine Eagles crashing at sea.
The carcass of the eagle was incinerated for safety measures and to make sure it would not spread or infect other animals in case it is carrying a disease. (ai/mtvn)
