A man vacationing in Tanay, Philippines, had an unusual passenger get into his van while he was driving—entering by flying through the open window.
That “passenger” was a bird, a serpent eagle to be exact.
It landed on the passenger seat right beside Renante Balbuena, 33, while he was driving slowly down a road in the sunny Philippine jungle in the fall of 2020.
Balbuena was a little scared at first, not knowing how to react to the big bird of prey, sporting cutting beak and razor-sharp talons. But soon he discovered the eagle was in fact injured and immobile.
He thought it may have been bitten, felt sympathy for the raptor, and wanted to help him.
“I closed the window so he didn’t injure himself more and grabbed a towel I had in my backseat to wrap him up,” Balbuena said.
He decided to first call his cousin, a vet, for advice. Later, he cleaned the eagle’s wounds and got the medicine recommended. Balbuena placed him in a cage to care for him, and fed him fish and fruit.
Within a few days, the eagle recovered and was ready to fly again.
Balbuena learned more about the eagle’s breed, and how serpent eagles need to fly freely in the wild, although they are endangered birds. So, he was ready to have this eagle return to the jungle.
Caring for the eagle was something that came naturally to Balbuena, he said. He shared more about his love for animals. “I love animals so much—cats, dogs, chickens, you name it! Sometimes my mom hates me because I adopt all kinds of animals,” he said.
Life has not been easy for the young man.
He recently had moved from the Philippines to Charleston, South Carolina, in hopes of making a better life for himself and his family.
Far from being a burden, the injured bird was a blessing in disguise, Balbuena said—that is, once he calmed down from the encounter. “The video has received so much attention and it is really exciting—maybe this could be the start of my YouTube career!” he said.
“My father and baby sister passed away in 2019, so I left the Philippines to move to America and start a new life,“ he added. ”I work seven days a week to provide for my family back home.”
Now, Balbuena is grateful toward the eagle that he saved, as his unexpected passenger caught on video helped gather 700 subscribers on his YouTube channel.
When Balbuena was ready to let the eagle fly free, his fiancé captured the moment on film as well. The bird must have been a good omen for his first vlog, he thought, and then thanked the Creator.
“When I tossed him I said, ‘You’re healed now, fly high and free my friend. God sent you to me and you could be my genie in a bottle. Please help me become successful!’ I felt goosebumps after he left,” said Balbuena.
