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Flaco to remain free: Central Park Zoo gives up on capturing escaped owl for now
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Feb 19, 2023
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Central Park Zoo
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Feb 19, 2023
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Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl that escaped the Central Park Zoo early this month after his habitat was vandalized, will be allowed to stay free for now.
The zoo says it's putting on hold efforts to recover Flaco, who has been "very successful at hunting and consuming the abundant prey in the park."
“We are going to continue monitoring Flaco and his activities and to be prepared to resume recovery efforts if he shows any sign of difficulty or distress," the zoo said in a statement. "We will issue additional updates if there is a change in the eagle owl’s status or our plan changes.”
New Yorkers have been following Flaco's journey in person and online since his escape Feb. 2, when someone cut the stainless steel mesh in his exhibit. Flaco was spotted in several locations around Upper Manhattan and on various tree branches around Central Park. The Manhattan Bird Alert Twitter feed helped Flaco-watchers monitor him from afar.
Staff members with the Wildlife Conservation Society, which oversees most of the city’s zoos, have kept tabs on Flaco since his escape as well. At some points, zoo employees tried to lure him with tasty treats (dead rats), while standing by with handheld nets, workers said.
More than 1,300 people signed a Change.org petition urging the zoo to let Flaco remain free, or to relocate him to a more spacious sanctuary.
"If Flaco is captured, he will return to a TINY, sad looking excuse for an owl habitat," organizers wrote. "He deserves better. "
Birders watch Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, in the park on Feb. 12.
Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
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Louis C. Hochman
After about two decades in (mostly) New Jersey-focused commercial print, digital and digital-but-radio-adjacent news, Lou stumbled into member-supported news in early 2021, as the editor and CEO of Montclair Local. There, he (hopes he) expanded enterprise, brought more sophistication to digital storytelling and moved the nonprofit newsroom closer to long-term financial sustainability. He helped lead the Local to its fourth consecutive General Excellence award from the New Jersey Press Association — the NJPA's highest honor with judges noting the paper's work to strip away layers of government opacity, to hold power to account, to make news accessible for more members of the community, to share the stories and concerns of more facets of the community and to tell compelling stories across multiple media. He's excited to continue the same ethic — news as a public service — at NYPR as the New Jersey and suburbs editor, drawing on the extraordinary talents of reporters including Karen Yi and Nancy Solomon. Lou lives in Philly (that commute!) with his partner and their two cats, about whom and about which he speaks incessantly.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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