Flaco: New York's Beloved Owl Dies After Accident
Flaco the eagle owl, who escaped from New York's Central Park Zoo last year, has died after colliding with a building in Manhattan.
The Only Owl of Its Kind in North America
Central Park Zoo officials said they retrieved Flaco's remains after being informed of his death.
Flaco was rescued by the zoo in 2010 when he was less than a year old. He was considered the only owl of his kind living in the wild in North America, and there were widespread concerns that he would not survive long outside of captivity.
Catching Rats in Central Park
During the year and nearly three weeks he spent in the wild, he demonstrated the ability to catch rats in the park. And his ability to fly improved.
The zoo attempted to recapture Flaco using bait and recordings of eagle owl calls. These tactics piqued Flaco's interest, but he did not take the bait, and so the zoo abandoned these efforts a few weeks after the owl's escape.
A Lone Ranger on the Move
Flaco spent most of his time in the wild in and around Central Park, as well as at other locations in Manhattan.
The Central Park Zoo stated that its staff monitored him throughout his days of freedom and were prepared to retrieve him should he show any signs of difficulty or distress.
Owls like Flaco are typically solitary animals that only interact with others during the breeding season, which led some to speculate that the bird was in search of a mate whenever he ventured out of Central Park.
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