10 Luzon Bleeding-Hearts Finally Go Home to PH

A Luzon Bleeding-Heart in Jurong Bird Park’s Wings of Asia aviary. Two pairs were first introduced to the aviary in 2012. On 20 August 2020, a total of 10 descendants of the original pairs were repatriated to the Philippines as part of a conservation breeding program with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. (photo courtesy of Wildlife Reserve Singapore)

SINGAPORE 27 August 2020 – Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Joseph del Mar Yap attended a symbolic handover of 10 Luzon Bleeding-Hearts back to the Philippines at the Jurong Bird Park (JBP) on 19 August 2020. The rare doves were set to be repatriated on 20 August 2020.

The Luzon Bleeding-Heart is a dove species that are ground-dwellers and endemic to the rainforests of central and southern Luzon, and in the neighboring Polillo Islands in the Philippines. Its name is derived from the distinct splash of vivid red right at the center of its white breast, with a reddish hue extending down to their belly. Unfortunately, their striking appearance makes them a prime poaching target for the pet trade. Combined with habitat loss, the birds are listed as near threatened under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species. 

In 2012, two pairs of Luzon Bleeding-Hearts were sent to JBP as part of a conservation breeding agreement among JBP, Avilon Zoo and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). After eight years, JBP has been successful in breeding a total of 60 birds from the original pair. Ten of the doves have finally made their way home with hopes of being reintroduced back to the wild in the Philippines. JBP is the only zoological institution outside of the Philippines that is part of a breeding programme repatriating the successful offspring of the Luzon Bleeding-Hearts to their native country.

Amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic when most flights are grounded, the pigeons caught a historical flight on 20 August 2020 from Singapore to the Philippines, after completing a mandatory month-long quarantine and series of health checks to determine that they are in the pink of health. After arriving in Manila, the birds will undergo another month-long quarantine under the care of the DENR before the agency determines the release of the birds to a protected area on their native island of Luzon. END

Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Joseph del Mar Yap (right) receives the transport crate from Mathias Quek, Junior Animal Care Officer, Jurong Bird Park (centre) and Dr Luis Neves, Director of Zoology, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (left) as a symbolic gesture to mark the official handover of the Luzon Bleeding-Hearts to the Philippines. (photo courtesy of Wildlife Reserve Singapore)

For more information, visit https://www.singaporepe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSingapore.