Serbia's skies have welcomed back Feliks, a critically endangered eastern imperial eagle who was seized by smugglers on his first migration and later brought home thanks to an international rescue effort.
His return marks a rare second chance for a protected bird and shows how much teamwork it can take to save an animal when wildlife trafficking crosses international borders.
Here's what to know
According to an Agence France-Presse report shared by Arab News, tracking data from July 2025 showed the young eastern imperial eagle leaving his nest and heading toward the Middle East on an unexpected path, which quickly alarmed conservationists.
Uros Stojiljkovic of the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia told AFP, "At that point, we started to worry because we could see that he was heading toward an extremely unsafe region."
Feliks' last known location was in Syria before his transmitter stopped sending signals in late October. Through contacts made via a partner organization in Lebanon, his unnamed captors later demanded ransom for the protected bird.
Following extended negotiations, Feliks was moved to a Beirut wildlife center. Six months passed before the arrangements for his return to Serbia were completed.
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Once back home, Feliks underwent rehabilitation and was released.
More background
Stojiljkovic said the smugglers' demand for payment was rejected by the group.
"By doing so, you are effectively supporting that smuggling chain," he told AFP.
AFP reported that Feliks returned to Serbia in June aboard a military aircraft carrying troops home from Lebanon. He was taken to Palic Zoo for recovery and later released.
Feliks' next flights may reveal much about his recovery after months in captivity. As zoo director Sonja Mandic said in a statement, "We hope he will manage to fly at least as far as the first time, when he reached the shores of Asia and Africa."
What's being done?
AFP said Serbia considers eastern imperial eagles both critically endangered and strictly protected. Stojiljkovic said the national population had fallen to as few as one breeding pair in 2017, making each surviving bird especially important to the species' prospects.
By 2026, that picture had improved to 29 monitored pairs in Serbia, a major improvement that suggests years of protection work may be starting to pay off.
Where can I learn more?
Feliks' ordeal is far from the only example of wildlife trafficking, and it highlights the importance of protecting endangered species.
• In Thailand, officials uncovered 87 endangered animals in airport luggage and arrested six smugglers.
• In Cyprus, organized groups trapped and killed songbirds on a staggering scale.
• In Saudi Arabia, conservationists are re-establishing suitable conditions for Asian houbara to return.
• Along an elephant migration route, volunteers found a threat and a violation in dumped litter.
• In Indonesia, endangered sun bear cubs got a second chance at life after being rescued from traffickers.
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