‘Celebrity’ owl escapes from NYC zoo, amazes officers by catching prey on its individual, surviving in Central Park

An owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo in New York Town has been noticed searching on its very own and acclimating to lifetime in the wild whilst getting a regional superstar close to the park.

Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl, was to start with found out lacking from the zoo on Feb. 2 just after his exhibit was vandalized and the mesh netting all over it was lower, which caused officers to be concerned about whether the owl could survive on its very own.

These issues quickly dissipated right after Flaco was noticed in the location catching prey on his possess and the zoo states it is “no longer a concern” whether or not he can feed himself.

“Numerous times in the past, we observed him productively looking, catching and consuming prey,” the zoo explained in a assertion last week. “We have seen a fast enhancement in his flight techniques and skill to confidently maneuver all-around the park.”

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The zoo has been trying to recapture the owl by luring him with food stuff, which has not but been profitable, and reported it will “require to rethink our approach.”

“Our observations reveal that he seems to be comfy in the area of the park exactly where he has been searching, and we do not want to do anything to encourage him to depart this internet site,” the zoo’s statement reported. “We are also mindful that he faces probable difficulties in this ecosystem on a daily basis. We will continue on to keep an eye on him, although not as intensely, and search to opportunistically recuperate him when the predicament is right.”

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Birders enjoy Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, as it proceeds to are living free of charge in Central Park in New York Metropolis on Sunday.. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis through Getty Photos)

On Friday, the zoo introduced a abide by-up statement outlining that they had attempted to entice Flaco back again into captivity with bait and recordings of owl phone calls, but he opted to stay in the wild.

“Even though he confirmed some curiosity in the calls, the try was unsuccessful,” the assertion explained. “As we mentioned formerly, endeavours at recovering the fowl have confirmed additional complicated given that he has been pretty productive at searching and consuming the considerable prey in the park.”

The owl has drawn crowds in Central Park, and one particular onlooker, retired corrections officer Kenny Cwiok, instructed The Associated Push that the owl is “a celeb” and that he thinks the animal can endure in the wild.

The Eurasian eagle owl is a single of the bigger owl species with a wingspan of up to 79 inches, according to the Wildlife Conservation Culture. It has big talons and distinct ear tufts.

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Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, carries on to roost and hunt in Central Park in New York Town on Wednesday. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis by means of Getty Visuals)

Like the Mandarin duck, the Eurasian eagle owl is not indigenous to North The usa, but indigenous owl species such as good horned owls and barred owls do regular Central Park, the place they dine on rats, mice and scaled-down birds.

Dustin Partridge, director of conservation and science for NYC Audubon, stated he hopes Flaco’s plight raises recognition of the fugitive bird’s wild cousins. “There is a lot of owl existence in the city,” Partridge said. “If you’ve under no circumstances seen an owl, they are majestic creatures.”

The New York Police Section is investigating the vandalism incident that led to the owl’s escape.

The Related Press contributed to this report.