{"id":426611,"date":"2024-12-01T21:19:57","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T21:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=426611"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Philippine-Eagle-hatchling-dies-in-conservation-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Philippine-Eagle-hatchling-dies-in-conservation-setback\/","title":{"rendered":"Philippine Eagle hatchling dies in conservation setback"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Philippine Eagle chick hatched via artificial insemination has died, an avian conservation foundation has announced, in a fresh setback for one of the world’s largest and most critically endangered raptors.<\/p>\n

Habitat loss and ruthless hunting have caused a rapid decline in the number of Philippine Eagles, the national bird of the archipelago country.<\/p>\n

The hatching of “Chick Number 30” last month briefly stirred hope that science and conservation could save the forest-dwelling raptor species, but expectations were soon cruelly dashed.<\/p>\n

“This heartbreaking loss is a solemn reminder of how delicate chick-rearing can be and how critically endangered species are particularly vulnerable,” the Philippine Eagle Foundation said in an undated statement on its website.<\/p>\n

A product of artificial insemination, the 17-day-old male chick, which died on Friday, had been the first successful hatchling in the new facility.<\/p>\n

Complications from a condition known as “yolk sac retention” were the possible cause of death, the statement said.<\/p>\n

The condition, common in poultry farms, indicates the entry of bacteria through incubating eggshells, or chick exposure to bacteria after hatching.<\/p>\n

Philippine Eagles, known for their sumptuous head plumage and a 2-metre (seven-foot) wingspan, are difficult to mate, with some even killing unwanted suitors.<\/p>\n

There are only 392 pairs of the eagles remaining in the wild, with just 30 born in captivity, the foundation estimates.<\/p>\n

The organisation’s ultimate goal is to release the eagles back into the wild, but it has not once succeeded in its 37 years of operation.<\/p>\n

Many Philippine Eagles have died after being shot or electrocuted while perched on power lines.<\/p>\n

Each pair needs at least 4,000 hectares (about 10,000 acres) of forest, a rapidly disappearing ecosystem in the Philippines, to hunt flying lemurs, palm civets, flying squirrels and monkeys.<\/p>\n

While underweight, the latest chick had initially displayed normal behaviour and feeding patterns until November 26, when it began to exhibit laboured breathing and sneezing, the foundation said.<\/p>\n

“Of all the chicks that they’ve successfully hatched and raised, this is the first time that the (foundation) breeding team had a case of yolk sac retention, which is usually linked to infection or other causes,” Bayani Vandenbroeck, who conducted the necropsy, was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n

“Strict hygiene and management protocols were followed, so we did not expect this at all, but we will probe where else we can improve,” he added.<\/p>\n

cgm\/dhw<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Habitat loss and ruthless hunting have caused a rapid decline in the number of Philippine Eagles<\/p>\n

-Handout
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