DAVAO CITY – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be adopting one of the Philippine Eagles which is under the care of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, according to sources from the nonprofit group.
Dennis Salvador, executive director of the PEF, said the agency is hoping for improved partnerships between the foundation and its Japanese counterparts for further research efforts especially with endangered raptors such as the one in captivity in Davao City.
The PEF is a nonprofit organization in charge of the care of endangered species such as the Philippine Eagle, at its facility in Malagos, Davao City.
According to Salvador, the eagle was captured in the Pantaron Range in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, last December after being found limping in the forest.
The eagle could not fly and had a pellet gun wound in the groin.
However the eagle won’t be at the ceremonial naming with Prime Minister Abe and President Rodrigo Duterte, as it is still recovering in the facility.
At the moment, conservation efforts of the PEF are mostly voluntary, with the academe and the private sector taking the lead.
There are 36 Philippine Eagles at the PEF facility in Malagos, with each of the eagles already adopted by a benefactor.
Each eagle costs around P125,000 (¥289,600) in terms of upkeep per year.
Salvador clarified that the ceremonial naming involved mostly a goodwill message with no talks yet of the financial aspect of the adoption of the eagle.
The eagle will be named “Sakura,” after the popular Japanese flower which blossoms once a year. (Yas D. Ocampo)