STA. CRUZ, DAVAO DEL SUR – After 37 days of intensive care, “Mabikker” – a Pinsker’s Hawk Eagle was released back to the wild forest of the protected area of the Mt. Apo Natural Park on October 14, 2015.
A three-year old Mabikker was found entangled in tree-roots within the area of SIbulan Hydro Plant last September 7 by Bernie Apal, a Bagobo-Tagabawa farmer of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. According to him, after he found the eagle unresponsive, scrawny, and its left eye was injured, he then ran to seek help from Barangay Sibulan and HEDCOR to save the life of the eagle.
HEDCOR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power, which operates a run-off-river hydropower plant in the area, immediately brought the eagle to wildlife veterinarian Dr. Bo Punetespina, Jr.
Dr. Bo directly nursed the eagle back to health and provided vitamins and medication.
According to HEDCOR, the community’s swift and appropriate response underscores their crucial role in wildlife protection and the preservation of the Sibulan watershed. Furthermore, this validates HEDCOR’s Information and Education Campaigs (IEC) for its Bagobo-Tagabawa host communities in Sta. Cruz.
HEDCOR’s IEC includes Biodiversity Orientation, Birdshow Experience, Birds Habitat Restoration and the newly-inked Wildlife Inventory and Biodiversity Assessment Project with the University of the Philippines-Mindanao which was launched on October 14. (with reports from Julius Paner and Lloyd Revilla).