The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced Saturday that Philippine eagle Sawaga-Dalwangan has died while undergoing rehabilitation at the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Philippine Eagle Sawaga-Dalwangan while undergoing rehabilitation at the Philippine Eagle Center. Sadly, she later suffered a sudden medical crisis and could not be revived,” the PEF said.

The foundation said the eagle had shown encouraging signs of recovery after her rescue. She had become stronger and more alert, was eating on her own and responded well to treatment.

“These observations were the basis of our earlier recovery updates,” the PEF said.

The foundation said an initial necropsy had been completed, while histopathological examinations were continuing. A consolidated report will be released once all test results have been finalized.

Before her death, Sawaga-Dalwangan had been placed in an isolation and rehabilitation facility at the Philippine Eagle Center, where veterinarians and animal keepers provided round-the-clock care for injuries that included old airgun pellet wounds.

PEF executive director Dennis Salvador said the foundation would pursue every available lead to determine how the eagle was injured, strengthen efforts against illegal wildlife shooting and work with communities to reduce human-wildlife conflict so the country’s national bird can thrive.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Biodiversity Management Bureau, an estimated 392 pairs of Philippine eagles remain in the country. Despite ongoing rehabilitation and conservation efforts, the critically endangered species continues to face serious threats in the wild.

During the eagle’s initial examination, PEF veterinarian Danielle Pasion, senior animal keeper Dominic Tadena and senior biologist Rowell Taraya found the bird weak, dehydrated and unable to fly.

They also observed soil-stained chest and belly feathers, along with broken and worn plumage, indicating the eagle had likely been stranded on the ground for an extended period.

“The infestation was more extensive than anyone had expected. Larvae were found not only in the wing wounds but also around the base of her tail feathers, around the vent, and inside the lining of the cloaca,” the PEF said, noting that maggots continued to emerge as responders cleaned the bird’s wounds.

The attending veterinarians said the combination of dehydration, soiled feathers, damaged plumage and the advanced maggot infestation suggested the injuries were not recent and that the eagle had been unable to move for several days before being rescued.

Veterinarians also discovered two airgun pellets lodged inside the eagle’s body, indicating it had been shot before collapsing to the ground.

The foundation said its veterinary team immediately disinfected the wounds, removed as many maggots as possible, administered pain medication and provided subcutaneous fluids to treat dehydration.

The DENR is conducting a formal investigation, in coordination with the Philippine National Police and, if warranted, the National Bureau of Investigation, to determine whether wildlife protection laws were violated.