Famous Owl Who Escaped From Central Park Zoo Has Died and Everyone Is Heartbroken
Flaco the famous NYC owl who became a social media star after he escaped from the Central Park Zoo in New York City has sadly died. Flaco had escaped in February of 2013 after vandals had cut the mesh of his cage and he has evaded re-capture ever since.
The beautiful owl was 13-years-old.
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The Wild Bird Fund posted the sad update to Instagram on Saturday.
The post reads, in part, "This afternoon, we received calls and messages saying that Flaco, the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl, was lying face down in an apartment courtyard on the Upper West Side. Two members of our staff arrived at the building and found him lying unresponsive. They carefully brought him back to the clinic, where our team confirmed that Flaco had died."
Related: Owl Who Took Up Residence at Georgia College Library Finally Gets 'Evicted'
Flaco's body has been sent to the Wildlife Conservation Society, who will perform a necropsy to determine his cause of death. They believe he may have flown into a window.
Hollywood celebrities have been reacting to the sad news on social media with Busy Philipps posting on Instagram 'I'm actually devastated."
The Hunger Games star Elizabeth banks shared her own tribute:
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Banks posted, "I was a bit obsessed with seeing this amazing owl Flaco whenever I visited NYC after we spotted him last February (along with a world of photographers). This is terrible heartbreaking news."
People Magazine reports, Per The Washington Post, the Central Park Zoo released its own statement about Flaco's death, expressing its desire to bring the person who vandalized the owl's cage to justice.
“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest,” the zoo said.
How Flaco Became a NYC Celebrity
In February of 2023, vandals damaged the enclosure of a Eurasian Eagle Owl at the Central Park Zoo allowing an owl to escape and make Manhattan their home. This owl had lived in the bus-shelter sized enclosure for over a decade.
When Flaco first escaped, zookeepers tried to capture Flaco but he avoided their nets and traps and soon a petition was started by New Yorkers to let this owl roam free. Flaco proved to people that he could feed himself by catching and dining on rats and soon Flaco sightings were a social media sensation.
After Flaco's escape, people posted sightings of seeing the owl on social media and he became a beloved local celebrity.
Flaco had been spotted on people's windowsills, rooftops, in trees and on fire escapes. There are even murals painted of him around NYC.
If you would like to pay your respects to Flaco, there are some beautiful photos and posts in this Facebook group.
It really is such heartbreaking news, and all we can do is take solace in the fact that he probably had an absolutely wonderful time dining on rodents and flying high above the skyscrapers of New York City.
Rest in peace sweet Flaco.
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