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AlUla Launches Largest Campaign to Resettle Wild Animals in Region

More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)
More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)
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AlUla Launches Largest Campaign to Resettle Wild Animals in Region

More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)
More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has launched the largest campaign to resettle more than 1,580 wild animals that will include antelopes, gazelles, Arabian oryx and mountain ibex.

The campaign is the largest of its kind for RCU, as it includes determining the readiness of the site, and monitoring the resettled animals, in addition to focusing on scientific studies during the preparations for the resettling campaign.

Monitoring of the newly released animals will be carried out with SMART software analysis tools, camera trapping and satellite tracking collars. It is the first time that the lightweight, solar-powered collars will be used for ungulate species in the region.

The commission's campaign comes in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030,as well as the Saudi Green Initiative and the Green Middle East Initiative, with the aim of transforming AlUla into the largest living museum in the world while preserving its environmental and historical characteristics.

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Farewell Eagles… Hobbit Sculptures Removed from Wellington Airport

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Farewell Eagles… Hobbit Sculptures Removed from Wellington Airport

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

For more than a decade, a pair of Hobbit-inspired eagle sculptures have cast a watchful eye over visitors at New Zealand's Wellington Airport.

But the giant birds will be unfastened from the ceiling on Friday to make way for a new mystery exhibit, airport authorities said.

According to BBC, the eagles appear as messengers in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which were adapted to film by New Zealand's Sir Peter Jackson.

The spectacular New Zealand landscapes featured in Jackson's films are a consistent draw for tourists, who are greeted at the airport by the eagle sculptures.

“It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us, “Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said in a statement.

The giant eagles will be placed in storage and there have not been long-term plans for them.

Each eagle weighs 1.2 tons with a wingspan of 15 meters. Riding on the back of one of the birds is a sculpture of the wizard, Gandalf.

Made of polystyrene and with an internal steel skeleton, each eagle has hundreds of feathers, the longest one measuring 2.4 meters.

While the iconic eagles will soon be gone, not all is lost for fans of the franchise: Smaug the Magnificent, the dragon in The Hobbit, will continue to be displayed at the check-in area.

The eagles were unveiled in 2013, around the time of the release of The Hobbit trilogy. The giant sculptures were produced by Wētā Workshop, the New Zealand-based company that made costumes and props for The Lord of the Rings franchise.

“We're working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique, locally themed replacement to take their place,” Clarke said. “We'll unveil what's next later this year so keep watching the skies.”