NYC owl ‘Flaco’ escapes zoo, on the loose in Central Park
A Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco sits in a tree in Central Park in New York, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. The owl, who resided at the Central Park Zoo, flew the coop after someone vandalized its exhibit by cutting through stainless steel mesh. Zoo officials say Flaco was discovered missing at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and remained on the loose Monday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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(NewsNation) — Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl who escaped from Central Park Zoo, is still on the loose in the park, but there’s good news for the people who have been keeping an eye on New York’s avian icon.
He’s been successfully hunting for himself, NewsNation local affiliate PIX11 reports.
Flaco has been on the loose since Feb. 2, after his exhibit was vandalized, according to Central Park Zoo officials. He ended up flying from the zoo to Fifth Avenue. Police officers tried — but failed — to catch him at the nearby shopping hub, before Flaco returned to Central Park the next morning, PIX wrote.
Max Pulsinelli, a spokesperson from Central Park Zoo, said staff has been intensely monitoring the owl each day, documenting and observing his behavior.
“Several days ago, we observed him successfully hunting, catching and consuming prey,” Pulsinelli said Sunday. “We have seen a rapid improvement in his flight skills and ability to confidently maneuver around the park.”
Everyone at the zoo had been worried when Flaco first escaped about whether he’d be able to hunt for food.
“That is no longer a concern,” Pulsinelli said in a news release.
This does provide a slight dilemma for Central Park Zoo employees, though, as their recovery strategies so far have been luring Flaco to familiar food items.
“Our main concern has always been for the well-being of the eagle owl. Our observations indicate that he seems to be comfortable in the area of the park where he has been hunting, and we don’t want to do anything to encourage him to leave this site,” Pulsinelli said. However, the zoo spokesperson noted that Flaco faces potential challenges while being on the loose.
“We will continue to monitor him, though not as intensely, and look to opportunistically recover him when the situation is right,” Pulsinelli said.
The New York Police Department is still investigating the vandalism of Flaco’s exhibit. An NYPD source told NewsNation that as of Tuesday there were no updates in this case.
This is only one in a number of recent thefts and incidents of vandalism at zoos around the country.
On Monday, workers at the Houston Zoo discovered someone deliberately cut a four-inch gap in mesh covering a habitat for brown pelicans, the Associated Press reported. And earlier this month, a 24-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly stole two monkeys from the Dallas Zoo. He is now charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of burglary.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
