How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco
In the fourth zoo crime of 2023, the Eurasian eagle owl was freed from his enclosure. What happened next surprised birdwatchers around the world.
It was 8:30 on a Thursday evening when Central Park Zoo staff noticed that Flaco, a majestic Eurasian eagle owl with tufted black ears and striking orange eyes, had gone missing. The steel mesh on his enclosure had been cut and his exhibit vandalized. He was gone.
The crime earlier this month marked the fourth zoo break-in of 2023, with incidents also under investigation at the Dallas Zoo, Houston Zoo, and Zoosiana in Broussard, Louisiana—all involving cuts to the animals’ enclosures. But Flaco’s escape on February 2 and subsequent monitoring of his successes in the wild has led to a surprising decision by the Central Park Zoo: Flaco will continue to take wing beyond the zoo’s walls,
