Metro Manila, Philippines — “Uswag,” a Philippine eagle released in June, was found dead in waters off Cebu, an advocacy group said on Monday, Aug. 5.
“It is very unfortunate that we lost Philippine Eagle ‘Uswag’ to accidental drowning,” the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) said.
The PEF said Uswag was healthy and fit, and had “already hunted successfully in the wild during the first few days after his release” on June 28.
“Sadly, perhaps because of the rains and winds brought about by the southwest monsoon, eagle ‘Uswag’ lost his flight bearings and got sucked in towards the sea,” the PEF wrote in a report.
Uswag, a three-year-old male eagle, was among the first batch released in Marabong watershed near Kagbana in Burauen, Leyte, under the Philippine Eagle Reintroduction Program of the Environment Department and PEF.
They hoped that Uswag and five-year-old female eagle “Carlito” would bear offspring.
Jayson Ibañez, PEF director for research and conservation, received GPS readings on July 30 that showed Uswag was at sea.
Members of PEF and the Philippine Coast Guard, as well as some local fishermen, conducted the search and recovery operation that began from Brgy. Gabas, Baybay City in Leyte on Aug. 1.
The group said it retrieved the carcass in waters off Ponson Island in Pilar, Cebu, on Aug. 3.
“When we were just about to lose hope, at 3:30 p.m., CG ASN (Patrick) Patalinghug spotted ‘Uswag,’ floating in an area known as ‘Samo,’ where two different sea currents meet,” the PEF said.
“Shortly thereafter, fisherman volunteer Mark Bryan Marquezo Colminas retrieved Uswag from the water,” it added. “Uswag was found floating along with sea debris with its GPS transmitter facing up and its miniature solar panels exposed to the sun. The body was already beginning to decompose.”
According to the PEF, X-ray and necropsy results showed “no visible evidence of shooting, trauma nor bodily injury and other anomalies.”
“The cause of death is suspected to be drowning, and the estimated time of death of the bird based on the conversation with Dr. (Marjorie) Cortes (of Visayas State University) is 4-5 days before it was retrieved,” it said.
The organization said Uswag is the ninth Philippine eagle to accidentally crash at sea, based on its records. The raptor is also the first reintroduced wild eagle and the first with a GPS tracking device to accidentally drown.
“We will further investigate and explore systematic GIS mapping and modeling of topography, wind-patterns, and other climate parameters at these crash sites to determine patterns and assess risks,” it said.
