Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University have embarked on a two-week expedition to Davao City, in the heart of the Philippines, with a challenging but crucial mission – to help save one of the world’s rarest raptors.
The Philippine eagle, a critically endangered species, faces severe threats from deforestation of its natural habitat and frequent tropical cyclones. These majestic birds can be seen at the Philippine Eagle Center, located on the island of Mindanao, just a few kilometres from Davao City.
Thanks to collaboration with Liberec Zoo and the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (CZU), the centre’s staff can carry out artificial insemination of females using sperm collected from the few available males. Breeding new generations and reintroducing birds into the wild bring vital hope for the species’ survival. However, this is far from easy – further research is needed on long-term sperm preservation, known as cryopreservation, which enables freezing while maintaining sperm quality and function for later use in reproduction.
This is precisely the task of the Czech research team. The collection and analysis of sperm samples, which will then be frozen and used for artificial insemination of receptive females, will be carried out by experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology – Prof. Tomáš Albrecht and Dr. Jana Albrechtová.
Keep your fingers crossed – every eagle counts.
