Cabanatuan turns to endangered birds as hunger stalks northern Luzon

Residents have been eating endangered bird species as starvation stalks Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, in northern Luzon, to the dismay of many conservationists.

In Nueva Ecija, many depend on rice farming, and most of the time they are not able to keep something for the so-called "hunger season" from July to October. By this time, many people do not have money for their food and become ingenious bird hunters, a natural choice considering the number of birds that flock to this province.

Nueva Ecija is one of the six prime bird-watching locations in the Philippines. Armed with home-made rifles, the bird hunters stalk their prey from early morning to shortly before sundown.

They always come home with different kinds of birds, after hunting in vacant subdivision lots, in rice fields and in other forested areas.

"Many of the hunters are unmindful or unaware of the effects of what they have been doing," conservationists said, adding that many bird species are not only eaten but also hunted for hobby.

Many of them justify their acts by saying, "We have to think of our hungry children more than ecological issues and. preservation of endangered species." As a result, efforts to conserve and protect species that are near extinction, are readily and conveniently forgotten by residents who should be supporting the growing number of conservationists in the country.

One of the favourite targets of the hungry hunters is the kan-dungaok, which full grown is as large as a goose. The bird, also known as Tarictic bombill, is a pet and a guard because of the loud sounds it makes when it sees a stranger. They thrive in the grassy portions of rice farms in Nueva Ecija.

According to a book, entitled Birds of the Philippines, Nueva Ecija's commonly hunted birds are the Tikling, or barred rail; Uwis, or common moorhen; Kanduro, or greater painted snipe; and Batu-bato, or Zebra dove.

From August to April, migrating birds arrive at Nueva Ecija's Pantabangan lake or dam reservoir. Rails, bitterns, quails, pigeons, kingfishers and shrikes, which migrate from wintry Asian neighbors pass through the 3,500-foot high Dalton Pass, near Pantabangan.

These are some of the 104 bird species from northern Asia that visit the country. Some 59 species also reach the Philippines as stragglers or occasional visitors. These birds, together with the Philippine mallard, are easy prey for local hunters.