Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, who flew from New York City’s Central Park Zoo and became famous in the city, has passed away, zoo officials said on Friday.
Around one year after he got out of his cage at the zoo in a criminal act that no one has been caught for, Flaco seems to have hit a building on the Upper West Side, the zoo said.
“The person who damaged Flaco’s cage put the bird in danger and is responsible for his death,” the zoo said. “We still hope the NYPD, who is looking into the damage, will catch the person.”
People from the Wild Bird Fund, which helps wildlife, went to the place and said Flaco had died after the accident. They took him to the Bronx Zoo to examine him.
“We wanted to see Flaco flying around our area, not in the clinic,” the World Bird Fund wrote on social media.
Flaco’s adventure started on February 2, 2023, when someone went into the Central Park Zoo and freed the owl by cutting a hole in the cage.
Flaco, who flew from New York City’s Central Park Zoo and became famous in the city, has passed away
Since February 2023, when the zoo stopped trying to catch Flaco, there hasn’t been any news about the crime.
Until now, Flaco was doing well, living in the city even though he was supposed to be in captivity. He was loved by many New Yorkers. During the day, he rested in courtyards, parks, or on fire escapes. At night, he sat on water towers and caught rats.
He often surprised people by appearing at their windows and was followed by bird watchers. His death made many people sad on social media on Friday.
David Barrett, one of Flaco’s biggest fans, suggested making a temporary memorial at the bird’s favorite tree in Central Park.
There, other bird watchers could “put flowers, leave a note, or be with others who loved Flaco,” Barrett wrote on social media.
