GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/30 July) – Environment personnel have secured a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) or red-backed sea eagle that was found by a concerned resident in a village in South Cotabato province.
Forester Mangayao Macapodi, protected area management and biodiversity conservation section chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Region 12, said Tuesday the stray raptor was discovered at a portion of Barangay Katipunan, Sto Nino town in South Cotabato.
A concerned citizen identified as Raymond Tejada earlier found the raptor weak and wet due to heavy rainfall as reported by Katipunan barangay chair Evangeline Marfil.
Barangay officials immediately coordinated the matter with Brigada News FM in Koronadal City, which then reached out to the DENR-12.
It was eventually turned over by Tejada and village officials to DENR-12 personnel on Monday.
Based on their inspection of the raptor’s features, Macapodi said they established that it is a “young Brahminy Kite.”
“It appears to be a domesticated animal,” he said in a statement issued by DENR-12.
Macapodi said the bird is now being kept in the newly-opened Regional Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC) located at the Sultan Kudarat State University in Lutayan Campus to ensure its “safety and protection.”
Dr. Neil Velasco, SKSU-Lutayan campus veterinarian, said the raptor is dehydrated and will undergo thorough medication.
The wildlife rescue center in Lutayan town, which formally opened last week, is the first in Region 12 or Soccsksargen.
Macapodi said the RWRC is a venue to secure, protect and rehabilitate all wildlife species such as those that are turned over, abandoned, surrendered or confiscated.
“We are advising the public not to capture any wildlife species if they are in good condition. Let them live in their natural habitat. If they are injured, immediately them turn over to the nearest DENR office to ensure their well-being” he said. (MindaNews)
