Heavy rains helped contain a forest fire that threatened a Philippine eagle nesting territory in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) reported.

The PEF said firefighters and local responders had worked to prevent the blaze from spreading before three consecutive days of rain helped bring the fire under control.

Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the local government disaster unit and two Mt. Apo Bantek Puwalas Indigenous Forest Fire Fighters were deployed to protect the remaining nesting territory, including an area where an eagle pair may already be nesting again.

“Then nature helped too: rain finally came for three straight days. One nest was lost, but thanks to the quick response from LGU Gigaquit, the rest of the forest was spared,” the PEF said.

The Philippine eagle is protected under Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The law penalizes the hunting, harming, capturing or killing of threatened wildlife.

The PEF also highlighted its efforts to track rescued Philippine eagles after their release into the wild.

According to the foundation, at least 12 rescued Philippine eagles have been fitted with Global Positioning System trackers to monitor their movements in habitats across the country.

From 2019 to 2024, the PEF responded to 23 Philippine eagle rescue cases nationwide. Of these, 18 involved direct human persecution, including birds that were shot, trapped or taken from the wild as chicks.

“These 23 are only the ones we documented. We don’t know how many more majestic Philippine Eagles are still out there, still needing to be saved,” the foundation said.

Of the 23 rescued eagles, 19 remain alive. Twelve have been released into the wild with GPS trackers, while seven are part of the foundation’s conservation breeding program.

The PEF has called for stronger community-led enforcement of wildlife protection laws to prevent the shooting and trapping of Philippine eagles.