Israeli wildlife officials have denied Saudi Arabia's accusations that a vulture equipped with GPS equipment was an Israeli spy.
Reports in the Saudi Arabian media said the bird caught in one of the country's rural areas could be part of an espionage effort by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.
Alert was heightened in Saudi Arabia when the bird, equipped with an R65 number ring, landed in the desert city of Hyaal.
When viewed further, it was found a GPS transmitter - or equipment to determine the coordinates of a location - on the bird with the words 'Belongs to Tel Aviv University' in English.
However, Israel strongly denies and expresses concern about the bad luck the vulture will suffer, the BBC's Wyre Davies reports from Jerusalem.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University insist the bird is completely innocent and has spent the past year traveling over the Galilee.
GPS equipment is installed for surveys of migratory and breeding habits of birds.
This is not the first time Israel has been accused of using animals for hidden purposes.
Last month, in the midst of a shark attack in the tourist area of the Red Sea in Egypt, a local politician said that Israel deliberately released the sharks to sabotage Egypt's tourism industry. (BBC)
