Harpy Eagle Conservation and Research--Conservation Projects
18 Jun 09
Goal:
Conserve and restore Harpy Eagle populations through hands-on management, research, and collaboration with local people.
Large, long-lived, slow-reproducing tropical forest raptors present special challenges for conservation. For almost 20 years we have been working to conserve the Harpy Eagle, the largest eagle in the Americas, and its forest habitat. Through hard work and innovation, we are now able to predictably breed this species in captivity and have refined release techniques to improve their survival in the wild. The long-term study in the wild of both captive-bred and wild-hatched birds provides us with valuable knowledge and insight to better manage and protect these and other threatened and endangered eagles. The Harpy Eagle, Panama’s national bird, is a symbol of the serious loss of forest habitat and biodiversity in Latin America.
2008 Results--
The last Harpy Eagle being held in captivity for breeding purposes at our facility in Panama was released into Soberania National Park on a sunny morning in July 2008. The moment marked the end of a 10-year propagation effort and the start of a new monitoring phase. All Harpy Eagles released in Panama and Belize will be tracked, some with satellite telemetry, to increase our knowledge of these magnificent residents of the Latin American rainforest. The single greatest threat to this species remains human persecution, specifically shooting.
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