• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer
  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!
  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

Meet the Tiniest, Fluffiest Ambassador for the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle

Patrick Winn - GlobalPost January 28, 2016 Leave a Comment

philippine eagle
Chick 26 at one month old.

BANGKOK, Thailand — Imagine a winged creature, big as a 4-year-old boy, with daggers for claws and an appetite for monkey flesh.

That's a fair description of the Philippine eagle, one of the largest and deadliest birds on the planet.

Also known as the “monkey-eating eagle,” it can size up macaques, which are as big as cats, and snatch them into the air. When monkey meat won't suffice, the eagles can kill and devour a 30-pound deer.

But the Philippine eagle is proving unable to fend off a more vicious primate: human beings.

As business interests mow down jungle habitats for timber and mining, and hunters shoot the creatures for sport, one of the world's largest flying predators is tilting toward extinction.

In December, good news for the species arrived in the form of a newborn eaglet. Hatched at a conservatory in the Philippines, where the eagle is beloved as the national bird, the baby's birth signaled hope for a species that has dwindled down to roughly 500 adults surviving in the wild.

“It's very healthy and doing well,” says Anna Mae Sumaya, curator of the Philippine Eagle Foundation. The center has struggled to coax pairs among its 34 eagles to mate. The ultimate goal is to release human-raised eagles back into the jungle.

Born to mother “Go Phoenix” and father “MVP Eagle,” the eaglet's name is simply “Chick 26” for now. “It'll grow to be a big bird,” Sumaya says.

Chick 26 shortly after it hatched on Dec. 7, 2015.
Chick 26 shortly after it hatched on Dec. 7, 2015.

This birth, however, is a dim light amid a litany of unnatural deaths.

Despite stark warnings from the government, which threatens more than a decade in prison to anyone who kills a Philippine eagle, hunters keep blowing the critically endangered birds out of the sky.

Last summer, the foundation returned a Philippine eagle named Panama to the wild after mending its wounds from a gunshot. Within two months, the eagle's body — shot through the breast — was found dead on the jungle floor. According to the foundation, bullets are responsible for roughly nine out of 10 Philippine eagle casualties.

“The main threat is still hunting,” Sumaya says. “Sometimes the hunters say it was accidental but I think they're trophy hunting.”

Their loss is doubly regrettable since the eagle — which only exists in the Philippines — serves as a source of national pride and helps symbolize Filipino efforts to conserve nature.

In its home country, the bird is widely known and revered. When newly crowned Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach was recently asked by a CNN anchor what animal she'd like to be, the Filipina replied: “Philippine eagle, very strong!”

Adult eagle "Mindanao" at the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao city.
Adult eagle “Mindanao” at the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao city.

As the species' population plummets, some of the only Philippine eagles protected from hunters are the birds living at the foundation. In captivity, eagles are deprived of their signature meal: the long-tailed, fluffy-faced macaque.

“We don't feed them monkeys here,” Sumaya says. “We raise our own food: rabbits, guinea pigs and white rats. The eagles are pure carnivores.”

It's unclear whether Chick 26, still tiny and covered in cottony down feathers, will ever get the chance to sink its pointy talons into a monkey's back. For now it's still eating the equivalent of eagle baby food: a half-pound of liver and ground quail meat per day.

(photos / courtesy Philippine Eagle Foundation)

This article first appeared on GlobalPost.

Topics: Business, Milestones More Posts About: animals, Conservation, Deaths, Nature, Philippines

Related Posts
  • Anne Heche wanted Miley Cyrus to play her in movie about her life
  • ‘Oh God Thank You’: Anne Heche’s Ex James Tupper Praises Emily Bergl For Slamming Rumors The Late Actress Was ‘Crazy’
  • Robert De Niro pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ Anne Heche
  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Mel B will “always be open” when it comes to her sexuality. The Spice Girls singer, 48, who reunited with her bandmates including the group's ex-singer Victoria Beckham for the fashion …Read More »
  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Megan Thee Stallion is being sued for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and forcing her cameraman to watch her having lesbian sex. The 29-year-old ‘Savage' rapper faces the salacious claims …Read More »
  • Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Jonathan Bennett's life was “changed forever” by his role in ‘Mean Girls'. The 42-year-old actor starred as heartthrob Aaron Samuels in the 2004 cult classic – which followed Lindsay Lohan, Rachel …Read More »
  • Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass a gift basket after he came out as gay. The 44-year-old NSYNC star revealed the legendary singer showed his support when Lance decided to reveal …Read More »
Previous Post: « People From Around The World Answer, ‘How Would You React if Your Dad Came Out as Gay?’ – WATCH
Next Post: Harlem Hate Pastor’s Church Put Up For Public Auction Over Unpaid Debts »

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent

  • Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer

    Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer

  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

  • Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

  • Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

  • Relationship status influences heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice towards lesbians

    Relationship status influences heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice towards lesbians

  • JoJo Siwa had a challenge transitioning to new grown-up image

    JoJo Siwa had a challenge transitioning to new grown-up image

  • Liz Hurley defends lesbian sex scene in new movie that was directed by her son

    Liz Hurley defends lesbian sex scene in new movie that was directed by her son

Partner Links

  • Immorality And More
    Open thread below... read more
  • Randy Rainbow visits with Kelly Clarkson
    “She wanted to raise the gayest kid on Long Island!” Comedian […]
  • Song of the Day: 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' by Saint Etienne
    Today marks exactly 35 years since the release of Saint Etienne's […]
  • Baldwin Isn't Fire, But She'll Keep A Simmering Heat On RFK Jr.
    Earlier this month, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin confronted RFK, Jr, about […]
  • Remains of the Day (05/28)
    Out: Benito Skinner teases "Overcompensating" season 2 storylinesCBS News: Infant fatally […]

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Footer

Ptown Hacks 2018

Read

  • Travel
  • Film
  • Law – LGBT Rights
  • Columns
  • Specials

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Log in

×
×