A seagull was caught after it was suspected to be spying on locals.
The bird raised concerns due to having a tracking harness attached to it which people presumed was spy equipment of some kind.
After being captured, it has now reportedly disappeared without a trace.
READ MORE: Aquarium worker sacked after being filmed kicking sea lion
Niklas Andersson, an expert on birds, was convinced that the seagull was not used for espionage.
He demanded that the bird be released.
The harness, which was attached to the bird, had an antenna which its catchers believed was used to track it.
It was suspected that the seagull had come from Eritrea or Egypt, as reported by Need To Know.
The animal was caught in Ethiopia.
After its discovery, Niklas, from Sweden, became inundated with emails from the catchers demanding to know what the equipment could be.
“I replied, ‘No, no, no, it’s not a spy bird. Release the bird immediately,” he said.
Shortly after, a signal from the bird’s harness disappeared and has never returned.
It is unclear what happened to the seagull after it was caught.
One potential outcome is that the harness would have been removed and the bird set free.
According to Niklas, in the worst-case scenario, the bird may have been killed.
READ MORE: Thirty-three horses found dead on hillside after violent lightning storm
