By Marie Tonette Marticio
TACLOBAN City – A juvenile Philippine hawk-eagle (Lawin) will soon be released after being turned over by a resident to the police in Marabut, Samar recently.
Photo via Marie Tonette Marticio/ MANILA BULLETIN
Marabut Police Chief Capt. Charmaine Cartalla said they received a report about the captive raptor in Barangay Veloso, showing that the eagle was under the custody of a certain Joseph Padullon.
According to Padullon, the eagle has been under his custody for about 10 months already.
He added the eagle was still young when he found it in a nearby village, and has taken care of it since then as a pet.
The Marabut police then coordinated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Forester Glenn Garciano of the Community Environment and Natural Resources-Sta. Rita, Samar, said while the eagle seemed to be in a good condition, it will still be subjected to further examination and rehabilitation before it could be released back to its natural habitat.
"The Philippine hawk-eagle has been tamed so a team from our regional office needs to check it before it is released in the wild because it might just go back to where it came from," the official explained.
The Philippine hawk-eagle is considered as one of the endangered species. Garciano added that its mere possession was punishable under the Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Conservation Act.