NEW YORK (AP) — For two weeks, an owl that escaped from New York’s Central Park Zoo flew from treetop to treetop, evading capture and garnering legions of worried fans. his ability to survive alone in the big city.
Would Flaco, a majestic Eurasian eagle owl, be hungry because he hadn’t developed the ability to hunt in captivity?
With a collective sigh of relief, the answer was an emphatic no: it seems Flaco has regained his killer instincts and is becoming accustomed to descending from his high perch to feed on the park’s abundance of rats.
As a result, zoo officials have announced that they are suspending recovery operations, at least for now, but will keep a close eye on the owl’s health.
“We will continue to monitor Flaco and his activities and be prepared to resume recovery efforts should he show any signs of difficulty or distress,” zoo officials said in a statement.
The bird’s name in Spanish means ‘skinny’, and it looked like it might live up to its name in the early days of its escape because it hadn’t been seen eating . But when he started spitting up fur and bones, it sparked excitement – proof that he had hunted and eaten.
Officials acknowledged Flaco’s recovery had proven difficult, especially “as he was very successful in hunting and consuming the park’s abundant prey”.
The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wingspan of up to 79 inches (2 meters), according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. They have large talons and distinctive ear tufts.
Despite evidence that Flaco had eaten rodents, the task of capturing him continued.
More recently, zoo officials have attempted to lure Flaco with bait and recordings of eagle owl calls. He showed some interest but didn’t fall for the trap.
The search for Flaco was launched on February 2 after it was discovered that vandals had cut stainless steel mesh in the bird’s enclosure.
Flaco made his rounds in upper Manhattan but didn’t stray too far from the park. He flew to the nearby Fifth Avenue mall, where officers tried to grab him and failed. He captivated audiences everywhere he went, including a visit to the park’s skating rink. Twitter was swirling with comments, and the #freeflaco hashtag, along with an online petition to keep it free, quickly took off.
“Flaco is doing well in Central Park. And it’s amazing. It has gone from being an owl in captivity to a passage into the wild much faster than anyone could have imagined,” said David Barrett, who manages the birding Twitter accounts Manhattan Bird Alert, Brooklyn Bird Alert and Bronx Bird Alert.
“It catches its prey on its own. It keeps flying better and better,” he said. “He seems to be having fun there.”
Great horned owls aren’t native to North America, so Flaco would have to fly across the ocean to find his own in the wild. He was less than a year old when he took up residence at the Central Park Zoo in 2010.
Owls are mostly solitary animals and usually only interact with another animal during breeding season.
“Is he going to feel alone there? That’s a good question,” Barrett said.
Bobby Caina Calvan, Associated Press
