A hunt is on for a giant eagle on the loose: Ryu, a captive-bred Steller's sea eagle, fled its zoo in France and has now been found perched in a tree near Luxembourg, leaving its keepers working to bring it home.

A rather unusual search-and-rescue mission is underway for an escaped Steller's sea eagle from Amnéville Zoo, which has been sighted near the Luxembourg border. The eagle, named Ryu, went missing during a free-flight training session on Sunday.

The zoo reported that the bird, an imposing species with a wingspan of up to 2.5m and a weight of nine kilogrammes, was chased by crows and appears to have become disoriented.

Ryu was located on Monday perched in an oak tree in Roussy-le-Village, France, close to the Luxembourg border. However, attempts by zoo keepers to retrieve the eagle have so far been unsuccessful. The zoo has issued a public appeal, urging people not to approach the bird for its own safety. "Please do not approach him, to avoid him getting scared and flying further away", officials stated, emphasising that as a captive-bred animal, Ryu is not equipped to survive in the wild.

Zoo teams continue their efforts to safely recover the eagle.