Multiple Pokemon GO players provide video proof of what appears to be the game's first legendary Pokemon sitting on top of a gym in Ohio, but the community suspects foul play.

Many Pokemon GO players are extremely upset with the game's developer right now, but that doesn't mean people aren't still out trying to collect them all. The task has been made much more difficult now that there is no in-game tracking tool and many third-party tracking sites are shut down, but the hardcore Pokemon GO trainers are still on the hunt. While out visiting Pokestops, some players in Ohio found a very surprising Pokemon guarding the top of a nearby gym.

The game currently only includes generation one Pokemon and there are a few that have yet to be released into the wild. As far as the community knows, that still includes the three legendary bird Pokemon, who everyone assumes are being saved for special world events or team rewards. That said, there appears to be proof of an Articuno in Ohio.

Multiple players have taken to Reddit to share proof of the bird's existence (including the below video) and the level 21 owner even posted on her local Pokemon Facebook group to brag about the bird. The user claims that she emailed Niantic about a problem and the Articuno was gifted to her account as a reward. She did not provide proof of the email and Niantic hasn't acknowledged this as true.

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Understandably, many players think this is some kind of hack or spoof. The videos and screenshots taken from multiple accounts and at multiple gyms definitely appear to be real, but there is still a good chance that the user stumbled upon a glitch or found a way to manipulate the game and access Articuno's assets without actually owning the legendary.

Since the conversation started, another player has also posted a picture with Articuno in a gym. This second player is on the yellow team, which makes things even more suspicious, since the legendary birds are believed to be locked down based on which team the trainer belongs to.

It seems like it will only be a short matter of time before someone in the community figures out how the spoof was performed or if it is real. At this point, it would be very surprising if the Articuno was legitimate, but we'll hold off judgement until we see more proof one way or the other. Check back for updates!

Do you think the player legitimately obtained the legendary or is there some kind of spoof at play? Let us know in the comments.

Pokemon GO is currently available in select regions on Android and iOS devices.

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