Young hawk-eagle rescued in Borongan
TACLOBAN CITY — A farmer rescued a juvenile South Philippine hawk-eagle after it became entangled in a net on his farm in Barangay Siha, Borongan City, Eastern Samar, on 10 November 2026.
Jovie Galiste, 41, said he first spotted the bird on his property around 3 p.m. on 9 November.
The following day, the hawk-eagle returned and preyed on two ducks and five chickens before becoming trapped in a net.
Galiste freed the bird and brought it home before turning it over to the Borongan City Environment and Natural Resources Office (BCENRO) in the presence of a representative from the Philippine National Police Maritime Group.
The Borongan City government said the bird was subsequently transferred to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Eastern Samar for examination and temporary rehabilitation before its eventual release into the wild.
The South Philippine hawk-eagle, also known as Pinsker's hawk-eagle or Mindanao hawk-eagle, inhabits parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, including Samar, Leyte, Negros, Bohol and Basilan.
The species is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
It is also included in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' list of threatened wildlife under Administrative Order 2019-09.
The species faces population threats from deforestation, agricultural expansion and hunting, which continue to reduce its natural habitat.