BANGUED, Abra (PIA) — An adult, endangered Philippine eagle was sighted in Abra in November last year, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO)-Abra has reported.
“We are proud to inform everyone that the first ever documented Philippine Eagle (in Abra) was spotted in Barangay Anayan in the Municipality of Tineg on November 20, 2024,” PENRO-Abra Planning Officer Ianne April Bello said during a stakeholders’ consultation meeting.
She said that an eagle was spotted flying over the mountain ranges of Mt. Pusa, Mt. Burnei and Mt. Sicapo in Barangay Anayan, and was captured by PEF’s telephoto camera.
According to the PENRO, the presence of the endangered Philippine eagle indicates that Abra’s forests are rich in biodiversity. Thus, the need to take action to preserve and protect these ideal habitats of various wildlife.
“In coordination with the Philippine Eagle Foundation, we will conduct an IEC (information-education campaign) targeting the barangays to inform communities in the province the importance of continuously protecting their habitat,” Bello said.
She assured the public that the PENRO will continue to observe and monitor the eagle and will propose the establishment of critical habitat in the essential areas to protect endangered wildlife.
Thus, bird hunting in these areas is strictly prohibited.
Abra is the second province in the Cordilleras where the national bird exists. The Philippine eagle was first sighted in the mountains of Apayao in 2011, and the first nest with a downy chick was found on April 24, 2015. Two Philippine eagles were successfully released back into the forests of Apayao in 2017 and 2024. (CAGT-PIA Abra)
