Davao City—The Philippine Eagle Foundation announced Friday the death of beloved Philippine Eagle Pag-asa, recognized as an icon of the national bird whose birth in 1992 “heralded hope for the critically endangered species and the entire conservation mission.”
It would have turned 29 on Jan. 15.
In a statement, the PEF said Pag-asa succumbed to infections associated with Trichomoniasis and Aspergillosis, which are said to be fatal to raptors.
“Although treatment was done over a week ago, he continued to deteriorate and died at 8:03 p.m. on January 6,” the foundation said.
Pag-asa, the first ever Philippine Eagle bred and hatched in captivity using cooperative artificial insemination techniques following 14 years of research, was 28 years old.
In 2013 the PEF reached another milestone with Pag-asa with the birth of its only offspring, Mabuhay, who was also bred and hatched through artificial insemination.
“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 Philippine Eagle, a giant bird of prey that can only be seen in four islands in the Philippines—Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao—is considered critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with about only 400 pairs left in the wild.
More than 30 Philippine Eagles are under the PEF’s care in Barangay Malagos, Davao City.