The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) on Saturday mourned the death of Philippine Eagle “Geothermica,” whom they credited for bringing international attention to the species’ plight.
In a Facebook post, the organization said Geothermica, a 19-year-old male eagle, died on Thursday, Sept. 7., in a Singapore zoo.
“Sambisig,” a female Philippine eagle, and Geothermica were on a breeding loan program under a Wildlife Loan Agreement between the Philippines and Mandai Wildlife Group in Singapore, the foundation said.
“They are the first eagle couple placed under an international cooperation in 2019 to save this Philippine national bird from extinction,” the PEF said.
The Philippine Eagle is listed as critically endangered — “considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild” — by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
There are an estimated 392 pairs of Philippine Eagles left, PEF said on its website. The species is threatened by deforestation, which forces them away from their hunting grounds and closer to the risk of being shot by people.
“Let us remember Geothermica for his huge contribution as a Species Ambassador in Singapore where over 1.2 million guests from around the world experienced the majesty of the Philippines’ national symbol and how important global cooperation is to save its kind,” it added.
The Mandai Wildlife Group also mourned Geothermica’s passing, saying he was not eating well because of an infection.
“Our early diagnosis indicated that it was an infection and we began treatment. For a while, he seemed to be recovering. All this time, the different teams at Bird Paradise came together to provide the best care for Geo,” the Mandai Wildlife Group said in a Facebook video.
The Singapore-based zoo said they were in close contact with the PEF on this. The eagle was then hospitalized until his medical condition became worse.
It took 10 years before the plan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to loan the Philippine Eagles to other countries for breeding and conservation was realized. It was approved under former environment secretary Roy Cimatu in 2019.
The measure also aimed to protect Philippine Eagles from bird flu and effects of natural calamities.
Cimatu had also said that both eagles would serve as ambassadors for Philippine wildlife diversity.