By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
A woman was arrested in an entrapment operation after she allegedly tried to sell an eagle online in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
Authorities identified the arrested as Ana Marie Jacoba, a resident of Purok Paglaum in the city’s Barangay Zone 2.
Based on information released by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Cadiz City, one of their personnel arranged a transaction with Jacoba recently.
Jacoba was allegedly selling a Philippine Serpent Eagle.
Cadiz City police moved in and arrested Jacoba after she accepted the P2,500 entrapment money from the undercover CENRO personnel in exchange for the eagle.
Jacoba is presently facing charges for violating Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
Based on further information released by CENRO Cadiz, the Philippine Serpent Eagle’s conservation status is presently a “Least Concern” although their population in the country is decreasing.
The eagle is found among the major islands of the country, and it is sometimes treated as a race of the Crested Serpent Eagle.
The eagle’s habitat is found at forest clearings, open woodlands, and sometimes in cultivated lands with scattered trees. It is also endemic to the Philippines.
The rescued eagle was subsequently released back to the wild at Sitio Aluyan in the city’s Barangay Caduhaan last June 15./DGB, WDJ