Flaco, escaped Central Park Zoo Owl and Defier of Doubts, is dead

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl whose escape from the Central Park Zoo and subsequent life at large in Manhattan captured the public’s attention, died Friday evening after apparently hitting a building on the Upper West Side, officials said.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the zoo, said in a statement that Flaco was found on the ground after hitting a building on West 89th Street.

Residents of the building contacted the Wild Bird Fund, a rescue organization, whose staff responded quickly, picked him up and pronounced him dead a short time later, the association said.

Zoo officials took him to the Bronx Zoo, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. He would have turned fourteen next month.

Flaco’s year as a free bird began on the evening of February 2, 2023, when someone tore to pieces the mesh of the modest abode where he had lived most of his life. Police said in January that no arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.

“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit endangered the bird’s safety and is ultimately responsible for its death,” the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement. “We remain hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest.”

Flaco began attracting a passionate fan base as soon as he showed up on Fifth Avenue’s doorstep the night he was let go. He looked out of place, with police officers standing nearby and Bergdorf Goodman a short flight away. He soon settled in Central Park.

As the days passed and he remained free, the question of whether he could survive life outside the zoo turned his plight into an underdog story. When he showed he could stick it out, he became a feathered, feel-good figure in hard times, with birdwatchers, ornithologists and everyday New Yorkers following him in person or, in many cases, following his exploits online.

But every day outside captivity was risky – even without the dangers of an urban environment. Wild Eurasian eagle owls can live more than 40 years in captivity, but average only 20 years in their natural habitat.

Hitting a building, especially a window, was one of the deadly threats he faced. Others include death from rodenticide poisoning in the rats he ate, and a fatal collision with a vehicle.

But for over a year, Flaco proved immune.

He was able to avoid vehicles by largely sticking to roofs, water towers and other elevated features of the built environment after leaving Central Park around early November. But the risk that he would die in a construction strike was high: no less 230,000 birds According to the National Audubon Society, people die every year in New York City when they crash into windows.

David Lei, who with his partner Jacqueline Emery has followed and photographed Flaco since his escape, said in an email that he and Ms. Emery were “sad beyond words, but held on to all our fond memories of him.”

This is a development story. It will be updated.