The stork that was detained by the Egyptian police last week on suspicion of spying was killed and eaten by villagers on Saturday.

The white bird was detained by authorities in August, when a local resident found it in Egypt's Qena governorate southeast of Cairo and grew suspicious of a European wildlife tracker device found on him, the Associated Press reported.

The Guardian reported on Saturday, that the stork called Menes by Nature Conservation Egypt, an environmental Egyptian organization, was released into a conservation area but flew to an island in the Nile where it was caught and eaten according to the group.

“Storks have been part of the Nubian diet for thousands of years, so the actual act of eating storks is not in itself a unique practice. However, the short-lived success story of getting Menes released was not enough to keep him safe till he exited Egypt,” said a statement published by NCE on their Facebook page .

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:40 - GMT 06:40