Feliks, a year-old eastern imperial eagle from Serbia, has returned home after a harrowing ordeal that involved kidnappers, smugglers, and clandestine border crossings. The bird was captured by poachers in Syria, sold illegally, and eventually retrieved in a daring cross-border mission. His safe return highlights the growing threat of profit-driven illegal animal trade and the relentless efforts of conservation groups to combat it.
Feliks's Journey and Capture
Feliks began his first migratory flight in August after being ringed and equipped with a transmitter by the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS). He flew southeast across North Macedonia, Greece, and Turkiye before his tracking signal was lost in late October in Syria. BPSSS expert Uros Stojiljkovic said, 'We hoped this was because there was a problem with the transmitter or something.'
Weeks later, Michel Sawan, head of the Lebanese Association for Migratory Birds, discovered that Feliks had been captured by poachers. Poachers catch migratory birds by placing water in the desert, shooting them, using nets, or chasing them with motorcycles. Feliks was put up for sale on WhatsApp groups for illegally trapped wild birds in Syria.
Rescue and Return
Sawan initiated a rescue effort, using his network of contacts in Syria to reach Feliks. Paying smugglers was not an option, but Sawan persisted. Feliks was sold to a buyer in Lebanon and then resold back into Syria before Sawan retrieved him. Getting Feliks over the border into Lebanon was impeded by regional fighting and bad weather. Eventually, a group of refugees carried Feliks in a potato sack across the Nahr Al-Kabir river on the northern Syria-Lebanon border. 'It was crazy,' Sawan said.
Once safely in Sawan's bird sanctuary in Beirut, Feliks needed to return to Serbia. The task became virtually impossible after the start of the war in Iran in February. After three failed attempts, the Serbian army came to the rescue through its troops serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. On June 22, Feliks arrived back in Serbia aboard a military transport plane.
Illegal Animal Trade and Conservation Efforts
The eastern imperial eagle is an imposing bird of prey with a wingspan of up to 2 meters. In Serbia, the protected species was down to a single breeding pair in 2017 but has recovered thanks to the work of BPSSS. The population has grown to 29 breeding couples, aided by a European Union-backed project. Dangers remain, including accidental poisoning and electrical cables.
Feliks is now in a zoo in northern Serbia for a 21-day quarantine. He will receive a new transmitter before being released again. Stojiljkovic said, 'Feliks went full circle and came back to where he had set off. Let's hope he won't be bored here.'
