3 Philippine eagles brought to Leyte for release into the wild

Three Philippine eagles were brought Friday, 21 March 2025, from Davao City to Leyte. Photo courtesy of PEF

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 March) – Three Philippine eagles were transported from the National Bird Breeding Sanctuary and the Philippine Eagle Center here to Mahagnao, Leyte for release into the wild.

The turnover ceremony was conducted on Friday, March 21, coinciding with the commemoration of the International Forest Day, at the Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park in Burauen town, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) posted on its Facebook page.

The three Philippine eagles brought to Leyte are Lakpue, Lyra Sinabadan, and Kalatungan I, and is part of the Philippine Eagle Reintroduction Program, now on its second year.

“They went through health checks before being placed in their acclimation enclosures in preparation for their eventual release into the wild,” the PEF statement said.

The program was first launched in 2024, marking the historic release of Philippine eagles Carlito and Uswag. While female eagle Carlito successfully adapted to the Mahagnao landscape, immature male Uswag wandered too far from the site, and accidentally drowned at sea, it added.

To prevent another loss, the PEF said it is implementing “a modified soft release technique developed by specialists based on best practices for kindred eagle species overseas.”

Lakpue is a male eagle and will be introduced as a potential mate for Carlito, the surviving eagle from Year 1, the PEF said.

Female Lyra Sinabadan and Kalatungan I, an immature male, will form a cohort bond, coexisting harmoniously without mating. As Kalatungan I matures, their relationship may evolve into a mating partnership, it added.

The reintroduction program and these experimental methods are crucial steps in restoring Leyte’s Philippine eagle population, which was nearly wiped out by Typhoon Yolanda, according to the foundation.

The newly-brought Philippine eagles will first undergo acclimatization before soaring into the region’s forests, PEF said.

These raptors are the pioneers for the Philippine Eagle Bonding Experiment, a groundbreaking strategy by PEF to encourage natural pair bonding among released eagles—anchoring them to their new habitat.

The mission was supported by the Provincial Government of Leyte and the municipalities of Macarthur, Burauen, and La Paz, Rotary Club, Insular Life, and the Mohamed Bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund.

Philippine eagle Lakpue was adopted by Lakpue Drug Inc. and Lyra Sinabadan by Eagle Cement Corp.

The Philippine eagle, one of the rarest eagles in the world, is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered. Threatened by hunting, habitat loss and other human activities, there is an estimated 400 pairs left in the wild. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)