DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Eagle Foundation announced on Tuesday night, Nov. 12, that a new eagle chick hatched at the newly established National Bird Breeding Sanctuary in Barangay Eden, Toril District, this city, on Monday, Nov. 11.
PHILIPPINE Eagle Chick No. 30. (PEF)
Tagged as Chick No. 30, the chick hatched after 56-day incubation following the “help out" method where PEF personnel assisted pipping through air space areas of the egg where the membrane was unattached to prevent suffocation from excess carbon buildup.
The carbon buildup is a common risk when the hatching period extends beyond a safe duration, the PEF said.
Chick No. 30 was born after almost three years since Chick No. 29 hatched on Dec. 4, 2021, PEF said.
The PEF welcomed the newly hatched eagle.
“This momentous event signifies a major milestone for Philippine Eagle conservation and represents the first successful hatching at the facility which only began operations months ago,” PEF said.
The NBBS opened last February and is home to 10 adult Philippine Eagles. The hatching of Chick No. 30 has brought the number of the critically endangered national bird at the facility to 11.
Domingo Tadena, NBBS facility manager, said that the decision to use the help out method was a calculated measure.
“It was a calculated measure based on years of experience and the chick’s status during the later stages of incubation. Without our intervention, the risk of losing this hatching to suffocation was high. This chick’s survival represents not just a successful breeding cycle,” Tadena said.
The PEF said that the chick is a product of cooperative artificial insemination between Pinpin (female) and Sinag, the semen donor residing at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) in Barangay Malagos here.
Pinpin naturally incubated the egg for the first seven days before it was transferred to the incubator until it hatched on the 56th day through the help out method.
Tadena said that the newly donated advanced equipment from Liberec Zoo in the Czech Republic played a key role in providing optimal incubation conditions.
“We were able to use all of the equipment donated by our European friends,” said the 76-year old Tadena, who has been working to save the Philippine Eagles since the inception of the organization in 1987.
The PEF recently embarked a collaboration with the Liberec Zoo and the Raptor Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the European Association and Zoos and Aquaria to modernize conservation breeding techniques for the critically endangered Philippine Eagle through cooperative artificial insemination (CAI) and semen cryopreservation and optimization techniques.
Along with the partnership was the donation of top of the line Europe-made equipment conservation breeding equipment valued at $25,000 or about P1.4 million.
Tadena said that the NBBS provides a more suitable environment to breed the eagles compared to the facility at the PEC in Barangay Malagos.
The seasoned Philippine Eagle keeper said that he is confident that the national birds will be able to produce offspring in a shorter period at the NBBS than in PEC.
DOMINGO Tadena employing the 'help-out' method to assist the hatching of Philippine Eagle Chick No. 30. (PEF)
At the PEC, Tadena said, the eagles are much disturbed because it is close to residential areas as well as it is also open to the public compared to the NBBS which is isolated in a forested area and restricted to the public.
Along with the more advanced equipment, he added, the technicians can focus more on captive breeding program activities.
The NBBS sits within a 13-hectare forested area on the slopes of Mount Talomo with at least eight hectares designated as a natural forest buffer.
At least five hectares were allocated for the core facility of the NBBS.
“This hatching marks a historic first for the NBBS, occurring just months after its establishment,” Tadena said. “It proves that with cutting-edge technology, cross-cultural collaboration, and unwavering dedication, we can create new hope for the Philippine Eagle and ensure that future generations,” Tadena said.
PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador said that the recent achievement underscores the unique challenges faced by specialists in breeding the national bird.
“They are not only difficult to pair but they also only mature and become productive after a long time. One necessarily needs to invest time and resources to make it work. But more importantly, besides skill, knowledge, and experience, it is the dedication and passion of our team that made this possible,” Salvador said.
Tadena said Chick No. 30 is the 22nd chick to be hatched under his watch.
“I’m glad to be back with the PEF even with my age, I can still apply my knowledge due my solid training broad and with my years of experience in the captive breeding program of our Philippine Eagle, I will be able to pass it on the next generation.”
Tadena retired from PEF in 2008 and returned as a consultant from 2018 to 2020. His services were interrupted by the pandemic but returned this year as manager of the NBBS facility.
The PEF said that there are 392 pairs of Philippine Eagles in the wild.