DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced on Friday, January 8, that “Pag-asa”, the symbol of hope in the efforts to save Philippine eagles from extinction, died last January 6 due to fatal infections associated with Trichomoniasis and Aspergillosis.
In an information released by PEF, the raptor, which would have turned 29 on January 15, was the first captive-bred Philippine eagle using the cooperative artificial insemination (CAI) techniques after 14 years of research.
The raptor succumbed to the infections despite efforts to save him a week ago, according to the foundation.
“Pag-asa’s birth, the culmination of 14 years worth of research, heralded hope for the critically endangered species and the entire conservation mission,” the PEF said.
In its nearly three-decade lifetime, Pag-asa spawned a lone offspring named “Mabuhay”, which was also bred and hatched in captivity.
“Even after he retired from breeding, Pag-asa lived his life as an icon of hope for Filipinos, young and old, and was a constant inspiration to the people working tirelessly to save our National Bird from extinction,” the PEF said.
In June 2019, the country sent Philippine Eagles “Geothermica” and “Sambisig” to Jurong Bird Park in Singapore for a 10-year loan program agreement signed by the Philippine government with Wildlife Reserves Singapore to protect the critically endangered raptors from extinction due to calamities and diseases.
Geothermica and Sambisig were adopted by Energy Development Corporation and Dow Chemical Philippines Inc., respectively.