Rescued Philippine Eagle Magpet found with three airgun pellets in Cotabato
Magpet, a young Philippine eagle, was rescued in North Cotabato is undergoing veterinary care after X-rays revealed three airgun pellets lodged in its body.
Named “Magpet” after the town where it was found, the five-year-old female eagle was spotted weak on the evening of Sept. 27. Local residents and environmental authorities retrieved the bird before transferring it to the care of the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao.
Veterinary examinations confirmed three airgun pellet wounds: near the right wing, the right leg, and the base of the tail.
PEF said medical staff successfully extracted two of the pellets that were close to the surface, but left the third pellet inside to avoid causing further risk to the eagle.
Since there were no fresh wounds, doctors believe she have been "carrying these pellets for some time." Despite what she had gone through, veterinarians noted that the bird was still bright, alert, and responsive.
"The eagle cannot tell us who shot her, when it happened, or why. What we know is that she survived," PEF said.
This is not the first time a Philippine eagle in Magpet was shot. In 2013, a juvenile eagle was rescued in nearby Barangay Amabel, but later died from a .22-caliber gunshot wound.
“We have seen this happen too many times. Philippine Eagles continue to be shot with air guns and improvised firearms. Our Population Viability Analysis warns that the population could collapse if these human-caused deaths do not stop”, said Dennis I. Salvador, Executive Director, Philippine Eagle Foundation.
Currently, Magpet remains under close veterinary observation where medical staff are monitoring her recovery and watching for potential infections following surgery.
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