A journey that began in Serbia and ended with a complex rescue operation through Syria and Lebanon, turning the rare eagle “Felix” into a global symbol of the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking. After months of being captured by poachers and sold on the black market, the bird finally returned to its home, in a story that revealed the extent of the illegal wildlife trade in the region.

According to a report by the Associated Press, “Felix”, an eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) from Serbia, began his first migratory journey last August when he was one year old, heading towards the Middle East, before he fell into the grip of illegal hunters in Syria, where he was sold on the black market, after which an exceptional rescue journey began across the border.

Although Felix returned safely to Serbia last week, his story shed light on the widespread illegal trade in wildlife, and on the efforts made by animal protection organizations to combat this phenomenon.

“It gets worse year after year, season after season, day after day,” said Dr. Michel Sawan, president of the Lebanese Migratory Birds Association, who played a pivotal role in the rescue operation.

The eastern imperial eagle is a large bird of prey, with a wingspan of up to two metres. This species was almost extinct in Serbia after its numbers decreased to only one pair in 2017, before the Serbian Society for the Protection and Study of Birds succeeded in reviving its numbers, so that today it has reached 29 breeding pairs thanks to a project supported by the European Union.

“Felix” was equipped with a tracking device before its launch, and initially moved inside Serbia, then through North Macedonia, Greece, and Turkey, before its transmission was cut off in late October inside Syrian territory.

“At first we thought it was a fault in the transmitter, and we never imagined all this would happen,” said Uroš Stoiljković, a member of the Serbian association.

Weeks later, it turned out that the bird was offered for sale in groups via the WhatsApp application, used by illegal hunters to trade wild birds caught using nets, traps, or by shooting them.

Dr. Sawan explained: “When Felix was arrested, his photos were posted in WhatsApp groups dedicated to selling wild birds that are illegally hunted in Syria. I contacted people I knew there, and we were able to locate him.”

Sawan refused to pay any ransom in exchange for the bird’s recovery, but he continued to work through a network of collaborators. During that period, “Felix” was sold to a buyer in Lebanon, before being resold again inside Syria, until Sawan was able to reach him.

The report added that his transfer from Syria to Lebanon faced difficulties due to the ongoing battles and bad weather conditions, before a group of refugees succeeded in smuggling him inside a bag of potatoes, crossing the Kabir River, which forms part of the northern border between Lebanon and Syria, until he reached Dr. Swan’s bird sanctuary in Beirut.

“It was crazy,” Sawan said, describing those moments.

But the trip back to Serbia was no less complicated. With the outbreak of the US-Iranian war last February, returning the bird to its country became almost impossible. After 3 failed attempts, the Serbian army intervened, using its forces working within the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, to transport “Felix” on June 22 on a military transport plane to Serbia.

Felix currently resides at the Palic Zoo in northern Serbia, where he will remain in quarantine for 21 days, before being fitted with a new tracking device and released back into the wild.

Despite the happy ending to this journey, Felix’s story remains a reminder that illegal wildlife trafficking remains a cross-border challenge that requires international cooperation to protect endangered species.