SMAP 226 - A Critically Endangered Feathered Friend

Hello once again, Feathered Friends Community. Let's welcome Round 226 of the Show Me A Photo or SMAP Contest hosted by @nelinoeva. If you still haven't heard about this yet, you can check out the contest post here. Read up and join us in the fun.

The theme for this week is:

WINGS

I'm going to take you all back to the Philippine Eagle Center, a conservation breeding facility for the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and other birds of prey. According to conservation organizations there are only about 400 Philippine Eagle breeding pairs in the whole Philippines or 800 individuals and this number keeps on decreasing.

The Philippine eagle is considered the largest of the extant eagles in the world in terms of length and wing surface area. It has been declared the national bird of the Philippines and is even depicted in the new Philippine polymer one thousand-peso note. The species had been classified by the IUCN Red List as critically endangered with a declining population and is one of the most endangered raptors in the world. The most significant threat to the species is loss of habitat, a result of high levels of deforestation throughout most of its range and illegal hunting by poachers. Since 2019, more than 20 eagles have been rescued mostly due to gunshot wounds. Wikipedia

The photo below shows Pangarap, a captive-bred through natural pairing female Philippine eagle. She is one of 35 Philippine Eagles under the care of the Philippine Eagle Foundation’s conservation breeding program.

She was actually feeding while the photo was taken. In the photo you can see the red meat clutched in her talons though she appeared shy to eat with all the tourists gathered by her cage. Would you believe she is 26 years old already? I was also surprised to find out the Philippine Eagle has a long lifespan. The oldest one in the Center lived for 46 years old.

Here's Pangarap from another angle, showing her cage and the partially covered billboard that identifies her and her sponsors.

And below is my entry to this Round.

Well, that's it for the moment. I hope you enjoyed the post and my entry to the contest. Until next time. Meanwhile, may you all have a blessed rest of the week ahead. Stay safe and healthy everyone.