Philippine eagle Uswag found dead in Cebu waters

A Philippine eagle named Uswag was found dead at sea off Cebu a little over a month after it was released in Leyte.

The Philippine Eagle Foundation announced Uswag's passing, reporting that its carcass was retrieved from the waters of Ponson Island in Pilar, Cebu.

The VSU College of Veterinary, which conducted the necropsy, suspected that the eagle's cause of death was drowning, adding that it could have died four to five days before the carcass was retrieved. There was no evidence of bullets or air gun pellets in the X-ray and there were no signs of fracture or trauma. A full necropsy report has yet to be released.

"It is very unfortunate that we lost Philippine Eagle Uswag to accidental drowning. He was healthy and fit and there were evidences based on field observations that he has already hunted successfully in the wild during the first few days after his release," the PEF said on its website.

The organization added that the rains and winds brought about by the Southwest monsoon in July could have caused Uswag to lose his flight bearings.

Uswag was a three-year-old male eagle that was released in Leyte last June 28 together with five-year-old female eagle Carlito. They were let out in the wild in the hopes of re-establishing the eagle population on the island.

The PEF has recorded eight cases of immature eagles found afloat on water, all except one were alive when they were rescued.

The PEF recently announced the death of Mangayon on July 8, due to severe blood loss after being wounded. Veterinarians suspected the eagle was shot with an improvised slingshot or marble gun. Military troops found the injured eagle in Bermuda, a part of Brgy. Mangayon in Compstela town.

A P100,000 reward is being offered to those who can identify the individual who shot and killed Mangayon.