This 4-month-old Philippine Eagle died from a snake attack

Last December, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced that it has welcomed an adorable chick, who’s also known as Chick No. 29. While it’s good to hear that a new member has joined its endangered clan, the 4-month-old bird passed away after a recent snake attack on April 5.

According to PEF’s press release, the young raptor was found lifeless on the floor of its enclosure. It stated, ‘The team of animal keepers immediately reviewed CCTV footage to reveal that the chick was attacked by a python. Measures are being taken to capture the python through entrapment and thorough searches conducted in the facility.’

The CCTV recording showed how the snake was creeping into Chick No. 29’s enclosure and it attacked the eaglet at 12:13 AM while it was brooding. The potential entry points were the feeding chute, which is a PVC pipe where food is dropped, or the screen ceiling.

Following the incident, preventive measures were carried out. The walls had an added wire mesh layer on top of the original cyclone wire for it to be snake-proof. The release added, ‘The enclosure is also adjacent to an adult Philippine eagle from the wild that can easily catch a snake. But unfortunately for fledglings, they are still vulnerable to predation.’

The death of Chick 29 was a big loss to PEF’s conservation efforts knowing that the Philippine Eagle is one of the world’s rarest eagles. These raptors have an estimated number of just 400 pairs left in the wild. It also takes them five to seven years to sexually mature, and they can live up to 40 years in captivity.

PEF’s statement also said that reticulated pythons are “natural resident species” inside the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) and the surrounding watershed area. But these snakes are classified as hazards under the PEC’s biosecurity measures. Traps have been placed around the area and search parties mobilized at night to capture the problem snake.

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Source: we the pvblic