On the edge of extinction, Philippine eagles being picked off
one-by-one Down to a few hundred individuals, every Philippine
eagle is important if the species is to survive. However, the
Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) has recently announced that
people continue to illegally trap and keep eagles captive. Since
December the organization has taken-in four confiscated
Philippine eagles (Pithecophaga jefferyi), according to The
Philippine Star. One died of a fungal infection after
confiscation, while two others has suffered serious injuries.
"The abuse and harm caused on Philippine eagles illustrate our
reckless management of our natural resources," Dennis Salvador,
director of PEF, told The Philippine Star. "If the Philippine
eagle, which is already perhaps the most prominent and
recognizable of Philippine wildlife species, suffers a fate as
grim as the above four eagles have experienced, how much more
other species? What bigger injustices could possibly be
happening to the rest of the Philippine environment?"