Talks are being held to airlift a male Philippine eagle to Singapore “to establish a breeding pair” with a female that is under the care of Mandai Wildlife Group. - MANDAI WILDLIFE RESERVE
MANILA: The Philippines and Singapore are resuming plans to set up a joint breeding programme to guarantee the survival of the critically endangered Philippine eagle.
The two sides are currently holding talks to airlift a male eagle to Singapore “to establish a breeding pair” with a female that is already under the care of Mandai Wildlife Group, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Thursday (Aug 15) during his state visit to the Philippines.
The female – named Sambisig – is one of two eagles that the Philippines handed over to Mandai Wildlife in 2019 via a wildlife loan agreement.
There were attempts to pair the two eagles, but were unsuccessful as they were not a match.
The male eagle – Geothermica, or “Geo” – died on Sept 7, 2023, due to severe respiratory tract infection.
“It was a case of unrequited love,” Tharman said in jest during a state banquet hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Aug 15.
Tharman said he is hoping Singapore will become home to another Philippine eagle just as Singapore and Manila mark 55 years of diplomatic ties in 2024.
“Discussions continue around acquiring a male Philippine eagle and exploring the feasibility of establishing a second breeding pair,” Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, deputy CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group, said.
The Philippine eagle is listed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The species used to roam in fairly large numbers across the Philippines, but decades of deforestation and the encroaching urban sprawl have nearly decimated its territories and its population has rapidly declined.
Only about 800 are left in the wild today, with 32 kept in breeding centres.
Officials in Manila told The Straits Times that the Philippines is actually ready to send more than just one eagle to Singapore to increase the chances of a successful breeding programme.
“It’s a fail safe, an insurance policy. As the saying goes, we wouldn’t want to be putting all our eggs in one basket,” Dr Jayson Ibanez, director for research and conservation at the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), said.
He said the “insurance strategy is to spread your breeding stock to different institutions”.
“This approach supports the long-term genetic diversity and sustainability of the species under managed care,” said Mandai Wildlife’s Dr Cheng.
“Having the species outside their native country serves as a crucial conservation measure, addressing risks associated with small wild populations and acting as an assurance colony against catastrophic events that could devastate entire populations,” he said.
Environment Minister Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga told The Straits Times there is still “a need to assess the current conditions and really study the terms of any future arrangements with regards to the Philippine eagle”.
Dr Ibanez said the death of Geo, the male eagle, in 2023 was not totally unexpected.
“We were dealing with biological organisms. Mortalities can happen,” he said.
He said Mandai Wildlife followed “standard husbandry techniques”.
“They did their best,” he said.
He said officials on both sides had been working on a “risk assessment” report to improve the chances of a successful pairing that could eventually see the eagles being born in Singapore.
Dr Cheng said Mandai Wildlife also supports efforts by the Philippine Environment Ministry and PEF to grow the Philippine eagle population in the wild, with the help of local and indigenous communities.
It has been a challenge for conservation officials getting the eagles to breed in their natural habitats.
These eagles pair for life and lay just a single egg every two years. In the wild, a pair will require about 7,000ha of forest land to successfully breed.
But hunters and poachers pose a constant threat to younglings, which stay in the nest for at least two years.
The Philippine eagle is considered a national treasure, its image featured on the Philippine 1,000-peso bill.
With a wing span of 2m and a body length of 1m, it is a top predator that feeds on monkeys, lemurs, squirrels and bats.
Mandai Wildlife has successfully bred many threatened bird species, including the Santa Cruz ground dove, straw-headed bulbul and the blue-throated macau.
It currently has 30 conservation projects and supports groups in the Philippines working to protect the Philippine cockatoo, southern rufous hornbill and other endangered species. - The Straits Times/ANN
