Mindanao hawk-eagle rescued, freed in N. Cotabato

COTABATO CITY – A juvenile Pinker's hawk-eagle rescued by a farmer earlier this week in Magpet, North Cotabato had been freed back to the wild, an official said Thursday.

Forester Rosie Camiguing, chief of the community Department of Environment and Natural Resources Protected and Wildlife Unit (PAWU), said the raptor had lost its ability to fly when found on Monday at a farm in Barangay Amabel, Magpet town.

“The unidentified farmer had fed and taken care of the raptor for about a day, enabling it to regain its energy,” Camiguing said in a statement.

Camiguing said the farmer brought the raptor to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office of Magpet the following day.

The Pinsker's hawk-eagle, also known Philippine hawk-eagle or Mindanao hawk-eagle, is a species of bird of prey in the family of Accipitridae.

Magpet municipal veterinarian Dr. Mylene P. Reniedo, who checked on the juvenile raptor, said the bird is healthy and ready to be sent back to its natural habitat.

She said it measures 63 centimeters in length, 125 centimeters in its wingspan, and weighs 1.2 kilograms.

On Wednesday, the raptor was turned over to the Community and Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Matalam and was released on the same day.

Data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature indicated that the adult population of the endangered Pinker's Hawk-Eagle is only about 600 to 800 in the wild.

Magpet is situated at the foot of Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak, where the Philippine eagles thrive. (PNA)