An owl at the Central Park Zoo has flown from its cage where it was being kept on display after someone smashed it through the stainless steel mesh, zoo officials said Friday.
The Eurasian eagle owl, named Flaco, disappeared at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and was still on the loose Friday, according to Max Pulsinelli, a zoo spokesman.
New York Police Department officers tried to catch the bird after sighting it on Fifth Avenue Thursday night, but it flew away.
The owl returned to Central Park at dawn Friday and spent the day high up in a local tree.
“At this time our focus is on the safe recovery of the owl,” zoo officials said in a news release. “We will issue updates as necessary.”
Later in a post on social media, the Parks department said the owl had been located and was expected to be recaptured.
“For those concerned about Flaco, the escaped Eurasian eagle owl from @centralparkzoo, our Rangers are on the case! We spotted the owl at the Hallett Sanctuary this morning and found Flaco healthy and curled up in a tree. We asked attendees to the park to give space so that it can be rescued,” the message wrote.
For those concerned about Flaco, the @centralparkzoo’s escaped Eurasian eagle-owl, our Rangers are on the case! We spotted the owl in Hallett Sanctuary this morning, and found Flaco healthy and hunkering down in a tree. We ask that park goers give space so that he can be rescued. pic.twitter.com/9hlsSzCWAv
— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) February 3, 2023
The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wingspan of over 180 centimeters, mottled brown and black feathers, and a distinctive ear tuft. They are not native to North America.
This one could do just fine in Central Park, if it knew how to hunt, says David Barrett, an avid bird watcher who chronicles the city’s avian population through Twitter accounts like Manhattan Bird Alert and Brooklyn Bird Alert.
However, after years of captivity, “this owl has surely lost its hunting skills,” Barrett said. He calculated that the owl would starve to death within a day or two in the wild.
The vandalism at the New York Zoo followed a series of animal disappearances and other bizarre incidents across the country, including at the Dallas Zoo.
