Luddly Neddite
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Turkish and Egyptian Authorities Suspect Migratory Birds of Espionage | Audubon Magazine Blog
Ménes the white stork, jailed on suspicion of espionage. Photo credit: AP
I hope the pubs don't find out about this.
![AP513107067720_opt.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fmagblog.audubon.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fmagazine%2Fu12561%2FAP513107067720_opt.jpg&hash=b2f78d4d9618c7c334c138551281cbf5)
Ménes the white stork, jailed on suspicion of espionage. Photo credit: AP
In July, Turkish authorities captured and detained a suspected Israeli spy before clearing the possible offender of espionage. And a few weeks ago, another suspected spy was detained in Egypt. Also released, this second purported infiltrator was found dead less than a week later. Though this may all sound like the plot of a John le Carré novel the truth is even stranger: Both of these suspected spies were birds.
As reported in the Turkish paper Milliyet and later by Reuters, residents of a Turkish village encountered a kestrel in July with a suspicious-looking tag that read: 24311 Tel Avivunia Israel. It was just a simple bird band from Tel Aviv University in Israel. But tensions between Israel and Turkey have been running high, so the bird was brought to local authorities and eventually to a university hospital for x-rays. Reportedly, the bird was labeled Israeli agent during its stay at the hospital. When the x-rays showed no chips, cameras, or other tools of the espionage trade, the bird was released unharmed.
I hope the pubs don't find out about this.