Rare Serbian Imperial Eagle Rescued from Syrian Captivity and Returned Home in Military Operation

Felix, a young Serbian imperial eagle, experienced a dramatic journey resembling a Hollywood thriller involving kidnappers, smugglers, and secret border crossings. Born in August last year, Felix began flying and embarked on his first migration flight toward the Middle East. During this journey, he was captured by illegal hunters in Syria, sold on the black market, and later rescued in a daring cross-border operation.

Felix’s story highlights the widespread illegal wildlife trade and the relentless efforts of animal welfare groups to combat it. Dr. Michel Swan, head of the Lebanese Society for Migratory Birds, played a key role in Felix’s rescue, emphasizing the worsening situation of illegal bird trafficking. The imperial eagle (Aquila heliacal) is a large protected raptor species in Serbia, which had dwindled to a single breeding pair in 2017 but has since recovered to 29 nesting pairs thanks to conservation efforts by the Serbian Bird Protection and Research Society.

Felix’s migration route took him from Serbia through North Macedonia, Greece, and Turkey before his tracking signal was lost in Syria in late October. Weeks later, news surfaced that Felix was being sold illegally in Syria. Dr. Swan coordinated with contacts in Syria and Lebanon to locate Felix, who was sold multiple times across borders amid conflict and bad weather. Eventually, refugees smuggled Felix across the Al-Kabir River into Lebanon, where he was taken to a bird sanctuary in Beirut.

Returning Felix to Serbia proved challenging due to ongoing regional conflicts and the launch of Operation "Roar of the Tiger" in February. After three failed attempts, the Serbian military, with support from its UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, successfully transported Felix back to Serbia on June 22 via military cargo plane. Felix is now quarantined at the Palić Zoo in northern Serbia, where he will receive a new tracking device before being released back into the wild. Conservationists hope Felix’s safe return marks a positive milestone in ongoing efforts to protect this vulnerable species from threats such as poisoning and power line collisions.