VT STAFF: THE VULTURE THAT CAME IN FROM THE COLD?

The BBC , Spectator, Telegraph,  and other main stream outlets are carrying a story about the Saudis “detaining” a vulture with a tag.

Is it coincidental that this incident happens just after the ADL targeted journalists who (rightly or wrongly) suggested that Wikileaks might have a connection to the Mossad or Israel?

Remember Wikileaks leaked that the Saudis too regarded Iran as a threat and supported Israel’s efforts to contain it. Now comes this fresh incident which would tend to make any serious concerns about Wikileaks look ridiculous, paranoid, and/or racist.

“Saudi Arabian officials have “detained” a vulture on accusations of being a spy for Israel, media reports say.

The griffon vulture was carrying a GPS transmitter bearing the name of Tel Aviv University, prompting rumours it was part of a Zionist plot.

Israeli wildlife officials dismissed the claims as ludicrous and expressed concern about the bird’s fate.

Last month, Egyptian officials implied the Israeli spy agency Mossad was to blame for shark attacks off its coast.

The vulture, which can have a wing span of up to 265cm (8ft 8in), was caught after it landed in the desert city of Hyaal a few days ago.

When locals discovered the GPS transmitter, they suspected the worst and handed it over to the security forces, said Israel’s Ma’ariv newspaper.

Conspiracy theories quickly began circulating in Saudi newspapers and on websites that the bird was involved in espionage.”

Of course, the CIA did recruit cats into spying on the Russians (see Project Acoustic Kitty), as far back as the 60s. In 2007, the Iranians jailed spy squirrels. One of  DARPA’s recent robotics project apparently involves cyborg moths for espionage and defusing bombs.