New York City’s beloved owl Flaco flew into a building and died from the impact on Friday. Zoologists are pursuing answers as to whether toxins or disease played a role in the Eurasian eagle-owl’s death.
Flaco’s first claim to fame came last year when he was freed from captivity at the Central Park Zoo. During those first few months of freedom, many admiring New Yorkers flocked to 102nd Street to a tree Flaco often frequented in hopes of getting a glimpse of the city-living owl.
A West Side blog reported that locals “of all ages” paid their respects to the death of Flaco.
“Flowers, drawings, and handwritten cards were laid on display at his Central Park tree with words of condolences, to the likes of, ‘You moved us all, we loved you so much,’ and ‘We are so glad you had a year of freedom.'”
Police still haven’t found the person who freed Flaco from his cage last year. The Central Park Zoo blamed Flaco’s death primarily on whoever helped him escape. However, the zoo is also looking into illness as a possible factor.
“The main impact appears to have been to the body, as there was substantial hemorrhage under the sternum and in the back of the body cavity around the liver,” pathologists reported. “There also was a small amount of bleeding behind the left eye, but otherwise there was no evidence of head trauma. No bone fractures were found. Flaco was in good body condition at the time of death, with good muscling and adequate fat stores.”
Tests will include “microscopic examination of tissue samples” to find any possible exposure to poisons or rodenticides and test for infectious diseases. Results are expected to take a few weeks.
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Devoted fans of Flaco claim he stopped “hooting” a few days before his death and suspect he might have gone ill.
An estimated 250,000 birds die each year in New York City from flying into buildings.
