Philippine hatchling stirs hope for endangered eagle

Manila: A baby Philippine Eagle has hatched in the Southeast Asian country with the help of artificial insemination, sparking hope that science and co...

Manila: A baby Philippine Eagle has hatched in the Southeast Asian country with the help of artificial insemination, sparking hope that science and conservation can save the critically endangered raptor from extinction.

Habitat loss and ruthless hunting have caused a rapid decline in the number of Philippine Eagles, one of the world's biggest eagles and the national bird of the archipelago country.

But when "Chick Number 30" broke through its shell last week at the newly opened National Bird Breeding Sanctuary in the southern city of Davao, it signaled hope to a small band of conservationists including 77-year-old Domingo Tadena.

"The first successful hatching in the new facility is very important for us. The entire team was so elated when we saw it alive," Tadena, who manages the facility, told AFP on Wednesday.

A product of artificial insemination, the chick hatched after a 56-day incubation period during which it got special help breathing through its shell, the Philippine Eagle Foundation said in a statement.