Eagle returns to Serbia after ransom demand
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Conservationists in Serbia welcomed Feliks, a critically endangered eastern imperial eagle, back to the country after smugglers captured him during his first migration.
In July 2025, tracking data showed Feliks heading toward the Middle East, causing alarm among researchers at the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia. His signal stopped in Syria, and his captors contacted a partner organization demanding ransom for the bird. Negotiators refused to pay, choosing not to support the smuggling network.
Six months later, Feliks was moved to a wildlife center in Beirut, Lebanon, and arrangements were made for his return. In June, the Serbian military transported Feliks home on an aircraft returning from Lebanon, where he received rehabilitation at Palic Zoo before being released. The return of Feliks is particularly encouraging because the eastern imperial eagle population in Serbia had dwindled to only one breeding pair in 2017.
By 2026, conservation efforts had increased the number of monitored pairs to 29, demonstrating progress in protecting the species. Researchers will now monitor Feliks’s future flights to assess his recovery from captivity.
