Philippine Eagle Goes Viral on TikTok, Sparking Conversation About Conservation
Have you ever seen a Philippine eagle? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. This critically endangered species is one of the most elusive birds in the world. But thanks to a recent TikTok video, people worldwide are finally getting to see this unique creature up close.
Photo from Unsplash
Lohwana Halaq, an animal keeper at Davao City’s Philippine Eagle Foundation, recently went viral on TikTok for her video comparing the real Philippine eagle to the one represented on the new P1,000 bill.
Halaq is seen in the video holding the bill next to Sinag, the youngest Philippine eagle at the center. She then compares the two, highlighting similarities such as their golden brown feathers, white head, and sharp talons.
More than 10,000 people have shared Halaq’s video, which has received over 1.8 million views. Despite being the Philippines’ national bird, several individuals in the comments expressed their amazement at how little they knew about the Philippine eagle.
💰The Money Shot 💰 The head shot of the Philippine eagle species replaced the former 1000 peso bank note design of the three Filipino martyrs and civic rights actitivists of the resistance against the Japanese occupation of World War II. The Philippine eagle is the national bird of the Philippines 🇵ðŸ‡Â and thus should recieve the recognition it deserves. From my experience working with these beautiful animals I can truthfully say that it shocks me much our own Filipino citizens do not know this eagle exists or what it even looks like. Despite its high profile status in media, culture and government. I’ve had many guest interactions in which local Filipino visitors come up to ask me: “ma”am, nasaan ang Philippine agila?” , “ma,am where can I find the Philippine eagle?” … I am literally holding the Philippine Eagle on my arm…. I look at them look at my eagle, Sinag, and look back at them and point out “You are staring at the Philippine Eagle”… I have conservations with Filipinos abroad in Canada and I explain to them that I work and live in the Philippines as an Animal Keeper and I help breed the critically endangered Philippine eagle species. Many of them comment: “I did not know we have this eagle in the Philippines”…. my response usually is “did you even open your Filipino passport?” As the Philippine Eagle is also featured in the Filipino Governing passport. It is clear that awareness plays a crucial role in species conservation from local to international recognitions. Education is key. There is improvement, and progress may be is slow, but saving this species from extinction is worth it. #philippines🇵ðŸ‡ðŸ‡µðŸ‡ðŸ‡µðŸ‡#philippineeaglecenter#philippineeagles🦅🇵ðŸ‡#capcut
According to Halaq, she made the video to encourage people to learn more about the Philippine eagle, an endangered species, and raise public awareness of it. She added that spreading awareness of the need to preserve the Philippine eagle through education is essential for species conservation.
Only about 500 Philippine eagles are alive in the wild, making it a severely endangered species. The Philippine eagle is endangered mainly by habitat loss, hunting, and electrocution.
Photo from lohwanahalaq on TikTok
Action must be taken to safeguard the Philippine eagle’s habitat, crack down on illegal hunting, and educate people about the significance of this species if we are to prevent its extinction.
The video uploaded by Halaq is an excellent representation of how social media can be utilized to spread awareness of significant environmental issues. Halaq has aided in educating people about the Philippine eagle and encouraging them to take action to save this endangered species by sharing her video with her followers.
Philippine Eagle Sinag. Sinag is my 7 year old human imprinted Philippine eagle. He is one of our semen donors for our conservation breeding program. Sinag regards me as his surrogate mate and together we are able to contribute to the next generation of Philippine eagles via Cooperative artificali semination (CAI) methods. He has officially reached age of sexual maturity. Breeding any eagle in captive settings is difficult as is, even more difficult is knowing that the Philippine eagle species is literally going extinct and it is my responsibility to ensure that this does not happen. The Philippine Eagle Foundation is the only Breeding facility in the world to successfully rehab, reproduce and release eagles back into the wild. It is imperative for the success of this species that the global community is aware and supporting all conservation efforts to avoid extinction. Let us not loose another world treasure due to human exploitation and apathy. 🎶” If there is something you want to do just do it, don’t let your head stop your heart from moving. “🎶 – @catburns To support Philippine eagle Conservation visit: www.philippineeaglefoundation.org #philippines🇵ðŸ‡ðŸ‡µðŸ‡ðŸ‡µðŸ‡#philippineeagles🦅🇵ðŸ‡
Together, let’s preserve and protect the Real Philippine Eagle. We can ensure the continued existence of this fantastic bird for future generations by increasing awareness of it. Join the movement, share the video, and l let’s make a difference together!
