People are mourning the sudden death of an owl that became a city celebrity after escaping its enclosure.
Flaco was born in captivity, one of the owls found in the Central Park Zoo. But when his enclosure was vandalized in February of 2023, he escaped. There were attempts to get him back, but he evaded capture, becoming one of New York City’s most beloved non-human citizens, much like the park’s Mandarin Duck. Sadly, after a year of freedom, Flaco died, leading to much mourning.
Per The New York Times, the Wildlife Conservation Society released a statement saying the Eurasian eagle-owl appeared to have collided with a building on the Upper West Side, on West 89th Street. Zoo employees took his body to the Bronx Zoo, where a necropsy will be performed. Next month he would have turned 14 months.
Flaco escaped from the zoo on February 2 of last year after vandals shredded the mesh on his enclosure. The Wildlife Conservation Society was not pleased with his escape.
“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death,” the society said in its statement. “We are still hopeful that the N.Y.P.D., which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest.”
No one was ever arrested, nor was Flaco ever captured.
