Fred Sadueste, chief of the DENR enforcement division said the birds consisted of a juvenile crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela) and brahminy kite (Haliastur indus).
Sadueste said Jayson Ingal, a barangay chief in San Sebastian village in San Luis town turned over the female crested serpent eagle, while Donnie Regala from San Agustin village in this city handed over a female brahminy kite bird.
“We are overwhelmed to know that there are still concerned people in our community that help and support us in our campaign to protect and conserve our wildlife species,“ he said.
Sadueste said the bird species, though not listed as endangered or threatened under the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and has a stable population and does not approach the threshold for the vulnerable category, still needed protection and conservation. Ingal said he found the crested serpent eagle in the backyard of their house in San Sebastian.
On the other hand, Regala, who is a holder of DENR Certificate of Wildlife Registration (CWR) said he saw the brahminy kite in the hands of four children toying with the bird.
As a bird enthusiast, he immediately recued the bird which had a bullet wound in the left wing.
The two birds were brought to Zoocobia Zoo Rescue Center in the Clark special economic zone, an accredited wildlife center of the DENR, to undergo care and treatment before they are released into the wild.
Ingal and Regala received certificates of appreciation from the DENR for their deeds.
Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, sets a maximum of 12 years imprisonment or fine of up to P1 million for anyone who collects, hunts, gather and trade wildlife species.
