Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:53:00 09/22/2010
Filed Under: Environmental Issues
LUCENA CITY—Environment officials released into the wild 10 Brahminy Kites, locally known as lawin, that had been kept at an animal rescue center in Quezon City following their rescue.
Anson Tagtag, project leader of the Philippine raptors conservation program, said the birds of prey, considered endangered, came from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) rescue center in Quezon City. PAWB is attached to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Tagtag said the birds have been turned over to PAWB by private citizens.
He said the birds were released into Mt. Banahaw because it was a protected area and a natural habitat for them.
The Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) feeds on dead animals, insects and fish. They swoop low over water, ground or tree tops to snatch live prey.
To ensure their protection, Tagtag appealed to villagers in Mt. Banahaw to help in preserving the birds of prey.
“Our wildlife helps in maintaining a balanced ecosystem,” he said.
Hunting, or harming, wildlife is punishable under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, or Republic Act No. 9147.
Lenlen Escultura, of the environmentalist group Tanggol Kalikasan, said one of the birds was reluctant to leave the bamboo cage that had become home to them.
She said PAWB staffers would keep watch over the bamboo cage for at least two days because some of the birds were likely to return to it in search of food.
“Once the birds get accustomed to their surroundings, they will no longer return to the cage and will start to live on their own,” Escultura said. Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon
