What happened to Flaco the owl? Beloved Eurasian Eagle-Owl from NYC's Central Park passes away

In February last year, a vandal reportedly cut through the Central Park Zoo enclosure of an Eurasian Eagle-Owl named Flaco. The bird escaped and soon became a much-loved New York celebrity. However, tragedy struck on Friday, February 23 when Flaco was found unresponsive on West 89th Street in Manhattan.

According to the Central Park Zoo, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl reportedly collided with a building on the street. He was declared dead shortly after he was recovered by the Wild Bird Fund. He reportedly died of an "acute traumatic injury" as per necropsy results, according to the New York Post.

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Flaco the owl reportedly had "substantial hemorrhage under the sternum"

February 2024 marks the one year since Flaco escaped from the Central Park Zoo. According to VOA News, back in February 2023, an individual scaled a waist-high fence and cut through a steel mesh enclosure to free Flaco, an Eurasian Eagle-Owl who had been at the enclosure for 13 years.

The owl escaped and pictures of him around Central Park and the rest of Manhattan soon went viral.

The Eurasian Eagle-Owl, who survived by preying on the rat population in New York, became a celebrity, as several tourists and bird watchers took up an interest in him. The bird was also featured in paintings, murals, and a plethora of memes that surfaced online.

However, about a year after he escaped, Central Park Zoo revealed in a statement that he was found unresponsive on West 89th Street in Manhattan after what appeared to be a collision with a building. The residents of the building called the Wild Bird Fund (WBF), who recovered the bird but he was soon pronounced dead. The Eurasian Eagle-Owl was later transported to the Bronx Zoo for a necropsy.

The necropsy was conducted on Flaco by Bronx Zoo pathologists on Saturday, February 24. The initial autopsy findings revealed that the bird had died of an acute traumatic injury. As per Daily News, the latest statement released by the Central Park Zoo mentioned:

"The main impact appears to have been to the body, as there was substantial hemorrhage under the sternum and in the back of the body cavity around the liver. There also was a small amount of bleeding behind the left eye."

The Zoo confirmed that there were no indications of bone fractures or head trauma. At the time of his death, Flaco was reportedly in a "good" condition. His weight stood at 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) when he was weighed at the zoo and during the necropsy, he weighed 1.86 kg (4.1bs), as per the NY Times.

It is also important to note that the vandal responsible for the owl's escape has not yet been caught by the New York Police Department. In a statement, the Central Park Zoo blamed the bird's death on the vandal, by stating:

"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 also revealed that staff had been constantly monitoring the bird, even after its escape, and were prepared to recover the Eurasian Eagle-Owl if he showed any signs of distress.

The Zoo reported that further procedures including tissue sample examinations, testing for infectious diseases, and toxicology tests will be conducted on the Eurasian Eagle-Owl to identify "underlying factors" that may have negatively affected the bird's health or led to his death.