With the celebration of Philippine Eagle Week (PEW) on June 4 to 9, 2009, the Philippine Eagle Foundation is leading the celebration that calls for stewardshipn and social responsibility inorder to help save rare eagles.
Tatit Quiblat, PEF communications officer said the stability of the forests, as people’s source of food, livelihood and protection from man-made calamities, can be measured in the number of existing Philippine Eagles found in these areas.
She said an eagle needs 7,000 hectares of forest to live but currently the figure is in an alarming rate and we are losing the forest to sustain the eagle and human life.
During the PEW, Quiblat said they will be staging a fun-filled activities for kids of all ages to highlight the importance of Philippine Eagle and wildlife conservation.
She said the celebration is a call for stewardship and social responsibility and aims to educate individuals and communities on how they can help this endangered specie.
The PEW encourages Filipinos to recognize the importance of natural resources and respond by contributing to eagle conservation work through donation, volunteerism or by adopting greener lifestyles.
“Big and small, it can help sustain the balance of our ecosystem,” she said.
She said the eagles need vast amount of forest areas to breed and survive and the more eagles present, the larger and healthier our forests, and more secure the food supply available for both human and animals.
She said most Philippine Eagles and other raptors and wildlife that are rehabilitated and being cared for at the Philippine Eagle Centern are victims of cruelty from human hands.
“Many were retrieved with gunshot wounds and embedded bullets, some were confiscated from illegal captivity done out of ignorance and leisure,” she said.
Cutting back on paper and other material waste and utilizing less energy can ease the stress on forest resources immensely. Vigilance against hunting and illegal wildlife trade helps prevent the poaching of eagles and wildlife out of their natural habitats, she said.
“With weeklong activities at the Philippine Eagle Center and at SM City Davao, it will motivate visitors to learn more about Philippine eagle and wildlife conservation apart from the adventure and enjoyment they are bound to get,” she added.
This year’s theme is “Kaligtasan ng Agila at Kalikasan, Kasagaan ng Sambayanan”.
