DAVAO CITY (July 19) — For a brief moment, there was hope.
Sawaga-Dalwangan, a Philippine eagle rescued from a mountainous area in Bukidnon, appeared to be fighting her way back to life after being found weak, dehydrated and suffering from several wounds.
She became stronger. She grew more alert. She began eating on her own and responded well to treatment.
But that hope was short-lived.
The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced Saturday that Sawaga-Dalwangan had died, two weeks after she was rescued and while undergoing rehabilitation at the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City.
The raptor suffered a sudden medical crisis and could not be revived, according to the foundation.
“After her rescue, she showed real signs of improvement. She became stronger and more alert, ate on her own, and responded well to treatment,” the PEF said in a statement.
The foundation said these signs of improvement formed the basis of its earlier updates about the eagle’s recovery.
Sawaga-Dalwangan was rescued on July 3 by Marvin Linoy, with the help of the Daraghuyan Ancestral Domain Indigenous Political Structure and the Inhandig Tribal Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
She had reportedly been attacked by a troop of monkeys before she was found in the mountainous area of Bukidnon.
When rescuers reached her, the eagle was in poor condition. She was weak, dehydrated and unable to eat on her own. She also sustained several wounds and suffered from a severe maggot infestation on her wings, abdomen and tail area.
Her rescue brought a glimmer of hope to wildlife advocates and members of the public who followed her story.
The updates from the PEF were encouraging. Sawaga-Dalwangan was becoming more responsive, gaining strength and eating independently—small but significant signs that she might survive her ordeal.
But despite the apparent progress, her condition suddenly deteriorated.
The PEF said it shared the grief of everyone who had followed Sawaga-Dalwangan’s journey and hoped for her recovery.
“Her rescue was not in vain,” the foundation said, adding that the lessons learned from her case would help improve the care and treatment of other Philippine eagles.
Her story also underscored the critical role of local communities and Indigenous groups in protecting the country’s threatened wildlife.
The PEF expressed its deep gratitude to the Daraghuyan community, Linoy and his companions, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Malaybalay City Government, the Provincial Zoo, veterinary teams and all other partners who helped rescue and care for the eagle.
For those who rescued her and those who followed her brief journey toward recovery, Sawaga-Dalwangan’s death is a painful loss.
But her story leaves behind an important reminder: every rescue is a chance to save a life, learn more about the threats facing the country’s wildlife and strengthen efforts to protect one of the Philippines’ most treasured—and critically endangered—species.
Sawaga-Dalwangan may have had only a short flight to hope.
But in that brief journey, she brought people together in the shared effort to save a life that belongs not only to the forests of Mindanao, but to the natural heritage of the entire Philippines.
