What is the status of the Philippine Eagles at the facility now?
International Breeding Programm for Philippine eagle ?
- Thread starter vogelcommando
- Start date
Dr. Wolverine
Well-Known Member
One eagle, the male, from the new Bird Paradise replacing Jurong has died due to suffering from leg injuries. I only saw one at Bird Paradise.
Any updates on the breeding program at the Philippine HQ? How many birds are kept (M.F.U) ... and the number of hatchings and successful hack outs.
Tapirus Lar
Well-Known Member
A chick was apparently born in December 2015
Rare Philippine eagle chick born in captivity
After that there seems to have been no mention on the internet of any more being born.
Perhaps someone with a better knowledge about the species can reply?
It seems that sending eagles to facilities abroad is following an 'animal diplomacy' like model, instead of a coordinated international breeding program.
Quote, ''In a June 2019 wildlife loan agreement, a pair of Philippine eagles; (as of 2019) Geothermica, a 15 year old male and Sambisig (meaning one unity) a 17 year old female, were loaned to the Jurong Bird Park Singapore.[50] This was part of conservation efforts for the species and also commemorated 50 years friendship between the Philippines and Singapore. Before the pair were shipped, they were given 2 specially printed passports dedicated to them. The pair were scheduled to stay at Singapore for 10 years as part of the agreement.[51] The move marked the initiation of the government's Philippine Eagle Diplomacy program.''
Rare Philippine eagle chick born in captivity
After that there seems to have been no mention on the internet of any more being born.
Perhaps someone with a better knowledge about the species can reply?
It seems that sending eagles to facilities abroad is following an 'animal diplomacy' like model, instead of a coordinated international breeding program.
Quote, ''In a June 2019 wildlife loan agreement, a pair of Philippine eagles; (as of 2019) Geothermica, a 15 year old male and Sambisig (meaning one unity) a 17 year old female, were loaned to the Jurong Bird Park Singapore.[50] This was part of conservation efforts for the species and also commemorated 50 years friendship between the Philippines and Singapore. Before the pair were shipped, they were given 2 specially printed passports dedicated to them. The pair were scheduled to stay at Singapore for 10 years as part of the agreement.[51] The move marked the initiation of the government's Philippine Eagle Diplomacy program.''
The breeding centre in Mindanao has not seen a single chick since 2015 till today.
The bird curator of zoo Liberec is now visiting at the centre and will try to help them with artificial insemination.
Source
On 11th of November, a single chick hatched from an egg that resulted from artificial insemination to a pair living in National Bird Breeding Sanctuary in Eden.
Translation of the whole press release of Liberec zoo is below.
Translation of the whole press release of Liberec zoo is below.
Liberec Zoo significantly helped in the successful breeding of a young monkey eagle
Breakthrough in monkey eagle conservation: Liberec Zoo significantly helped in the successful breeding of a young eagle using artificial insemination
A huge reason for joy erupted on Monday, November 11, on the Philippine island of Mindanao. The Philippine Eagle Foundation rescue center achieved an extraordinary success in the conservation of the largest and most endangered raptor in the world and the national bird of the Philippines, the monkey eagle. Thanks to artificial insemination and incubation methods, a young of this majestic predator has hatched after ten years. The little eagle is in the care of Filipino keepers, who are intensively caring for and feeding the young one. The Liberec Zoo also played a key role in this extraordinary success, as it has unique experience with the assisted reproduction of many different species of birds of prey and has been actively involved in the entire process from the very beginning.
“This is a truly extraordinary and fundamental conservation success, as it is the thirtieth chick raised since the organization was founded in 1987 and only the eighth chick to be produced through artificial insemination. The key to the success was a huge international team effort and cooperation,” says Liberec zoologist Jan Hanel, who has been working closely with his Filipino colleagues from the Philippine Eagle Foundation for two years and has extensive experience in raising birds of prey.
The bird hatched in the early hours of November 11 after fifty-six days of incubation. Both Philippine and Liberec zoologists were anxiously awaiting this moment. However, the successful hatching was preceded by long-term preparations and processes. A key role in the success was played, for example, by the construction of a new detached specialized breeding facility in the middle of the tropical rainforest and the transfer of breeding birds from the aviaries of the rescue center to this peaceful bird sanctuary. There were almost forty individuals in the rescue center, but it was not possible to raise chicks there for a long time. "The National Bird Breeding Sanctuary in Eden was only put into operation in February of this year, and in September the female laid an egg there after artificial insemination. This is the very first chick in this new breeding facility, which is a huge hope for the future and confirmation that this was the right decision," says the zoologist. Another important step was the professional training of Filipino keepers in the latest methods of breeding raptors, which took place this spring at the Liberec Zoo, as well as the acquisition of new equipment for the rescue center in the Philippines. "In September, at the beginning of the monkey eagle nesting season, we delivered to the Philippines, for example, special incubators and hatcheries, which were missing in the center, and which are quite essential for successful artificial breeding. Thanks to them, we manage to imitate natural conditions as faithfully as possible and optimize temperature and humidity during incubation," explains Jan Hanel. Equipment worth several hundred thousand crowns was purchased thanks to the support of the Olomouc Zoo, Nehvizdy Zoo, and Wupperthal Zoo, and the hatcheries were supplied by the Procon-Grumbach company as a sponsor.
Human-assisted breeding plays a crucial role in saving endangered species from extinction. The long-term goal is to support the population of the monkey eagle in the wild. The Philippine Eagle Foundation plans to release the reared chicks back into the wild. "The chances of saving this largest and most endangered predator in the world are still great. Hopefully, it will be possible to return it to the wild in the same way that the bearded vultures were repatriated in Europe thanks to human-assisted breeding. Their situation was quite similar to the current state of monkey eagles," concludes Jan Hanel with hope, who also collaborated on the release of fifteen Liberec-bred bearded vulture chicks into European mountains. In addition to artificial insemination, the method of freezing sperm in liquid nitrogen will also help to achieve this long-term goal. "Both artificial insemination and sperm freezing are currently the only way to quickly increase the numbers of the monkey eagle, which is on the verge of extinction. The collected and subsequently frozen sperm can be used for decades. Given that the gene pool of monkey eagles is very small, this could significantly affect their existence in the future," adds Hanel.
The monkey eagle rescue project and international cooperation were also supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Czech Embassy in Manila.
Breakthrough in monkey eagle conservation: Liberec Zoo significantly helped in the successful breeding of a young eagle using artificial insemination
A huge reason for joy erupted on Monday, November 11, on the Philippine island of Mindanao. The Philippine Eagle Foundation rescue center achieved an extraordinary success in the conservation of the largest and most endangered raptor in the world and the national bird of the Philippines, the monkey eagle. Thanks to artificial insemination and incubation methods, a young of this majestic predator has hatched after ten years. The little eagle is in the care of Filipino keepers, who are intensively caring for and feeding the young one. The Liberec Zoo also played a key role in this extraordinary success, as it has unique experience with the assisted reproduction of many different species of birds of prey and has been actively involved in the entire process from the very beginning.
“This is a truly extraordinary and fundamental conservation success, as it is the thirtieth chick raised since the organization was founded in 1987 and only the eighth chick to be produced through artificial insemination. The key to the success was a huge international team effort and cooperation,” says Liberec zoologist Jan Hanel, who has been working closely with his Filipino colleagues from the Philippine Eagle Foundation for two years and has extensive experience in raising birds of prey.
The bird hatched in the early hours of November 11 after fifty-six days of incubation. Both Philippine and Liberec zoologists were anxiously awaiting this moment. However, the successful hatching was preceded by long-term preparations and processes. A key role in the success was played, for example, by the construction of a new detached specialized breeding facility in the middle of the tropical rainforest and the transfer of breeding birds from the aviaries of the rescue center to this peaceful bird sanctuary. There were almost forty individuals in the rescue center, but it was not possible to raise chicks there for a long time. "The National Bird Breeding Sanctuary in Eden was only put into operation in February of this year, and in September the female laid an egg there after artificial insemination. This is the very first chick in this new breeding facility, which is a huge hope for the future and confirmation that this was the right decision," says the zoologist. Another important step was the professional training of Filipino keepers in the latest methods of breeding raptors, which took place this spring at the Liberec Zoo, as well as the acquisition of new equipment for the rescue center in the Philippines. "In September, at the beginning of the monkey eagle nesting season, we delivered to the Philippines, for example, special incubators and hatcheries, which were missing in the center, and which are quite essential for successful artificial breeding. Thanks to them, we manage to imitate natural conditions as faithfully as possible and optimize temperature and humidity during incubation," explains Jan Hanel. Equipment worth several hundred thousand crowns was purchased thanks to the support of the Olomouc Zoo, Nehvizdy Zoo, and Wupperthal Zoo, and the hatcheries were supplied by the Procon-Grumbach company as a sponsor.
Human-assisted breeding plays a crucial role in saving endangered species from extinction. The long-term goal is to support the population of the monkey eagle in the wild. The Philippine Eagle Foundation plans to release the reared chicks back into the wild. "The chances of saving this largest and most endangered predator in the world are still great. Hopefully, it will be possible to return it to the wild in the same way that the bearded vultures were repatriated in Europe thanks to human-assisted breeding. Their situation was quite similar to the current state of monkey eagles," concludes Jan Hanel with hope, who also collaborated on the release of fifteen Liberec-bred bearded vulture chicks into European mountains. In addition to artificial insemination, the method of freezing sperm in liquid nitrogen will also help to achieve this long-term goal. "Both artificial insemination and sperm freezing are currently the only way to quickly increase the numbers of the monkey eagle, which is on the verge of extinction. The collected and subsequently frozen sperm can be used for decades. Given that the gene pool of monkey eagles is very small, this could significantly affect their existence in the future," adds Hanel.
The monkey eagle rescue project and international cooperation were also supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Czech Embassy in Manila.