Photo from November on the LES by @Vinweasel_
Sad news from the Upper West Side last evening.
Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo and became one of the city's most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan, has died, zoo officials announced Friday.A little over one year after he was freed from his cage at the zoo in a criminal act that has yet to be solved, Flaco appears to have collided with an Upper West Side building, the zoo said in a statement.
Flaco was 13.
This past November, Flaco — the only Eurasian eagle-owl in the wild in North America — spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side.
Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen multiple times over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side... inspiring some we've-been-there-too poetry and silly headlines.
As you may have already seen, Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl has passed away. I am sad beyond words. Flaco defied the odds and made quite a life for himself in the city over the past year. Along the way he came to mean so much to so many, including me. ❤️🦉 pic.twitter.com/gJnby3TtvB
— David Lei (@davidlei) February 24, 2024
Thank you for visiting us and for connecting us to something bigger. Rest easy, Flaco 💔 #flaco #birdcpp @BirdCentralPark @davidlei pic.twitter.com/vxgeasUvtP
— RHP (@RobinHerbstPapa) February 24, 2024
I am heartbroken tonight as I know so many of you are. I took this video of Flaco one week ago today, which was the last time I saw him. Hearing him hoot brings me comfort, and I hope it brings you some comfort too.💕🦉
— JacquelineUWS (@jacquelineUWS) February 24, 2024
We will never forget you, Flaco. pic.twitter.com/VvAOyYaupf
10 comments:
It's very sad that this happened. I loved hearing about Flaco showing up at people's windows and things like that. It just made me happy that his guy was living his life.
I wonder if he was sick and that's why he crashed into the window.
This is devastating. Owls are such majestic creatures. RIP Flaco ... you were loved ��❤️
I was looking at headlines about the horror that is CPAC, and then this. What a shitty day.
I am sorry to hear this sad news about Flaco I had never actually seen him except for images on the news media and internet sites but it was nice to know he was out there flying free in this City.
I am glad though that he had a year of freedom. Living for all those years in a small enclosure must have been so dull and boring for him. He would likely have lived much longer had he remained in captivity, but at what cost to his happiness?
Here's one with a happier ending though. Man befriends giant, TV-loving owl family nesting outside his window: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5590304/man-befriends-giant-tv-loving-owl-family-nesting-outside-his-window-1.5590321
Birds collide all the time into windows and die. It’s so sad.
He shoulda stayed grooving with us in the EV, forget that boring UWS
I don't believe the necropsy has been performed yet. I myself have a feeling that Flaco might have ingested a rat that was contaminated with rodenticide which would have caused him to fly erratically resulting in his crashing into the building.
If so, an even more tragic ending.
RIP Sweet Flaco💔
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