Feathered Fugitive From New York Zoo Earns His Freedom

Flaco is the majestic Eurasian eagle-owl that has had New Yorkers hooting #FreeFlaco all over social media. On February 2nd, Flaco "allegedly" escaped from his Central Park Zoo cage. Officials at the zoo said that a hole created by vandals allowed the the feathered fugitive to fly the coop.

For weeks, the zoo officials and the New York City Police Department were in pursuit of the beaked-escapee, with a six and a half foot wingspan. Thankfully, Flaco has stayed mostly in the Central Park tree tops, enabling zoo medical staff to monitor his eating habits and general health. All awhile, New Yorkers have been buzzing to keep Flaco free. They may have gotten their wish.

On Monday, according to the Associated Press, Zoo officials announced that they were suspending the recovery operations to capture the owl. “We are going to continue monitoring Flaco and his activities and to be prepared to resume recovery efforts if he shows any sign of difficulty or distress.” They acknowledged that capturing Flaco was very difficult, especially “since he has been very successful at hunting and consuming the abundant prey in the park.”

The zoo officials said that Flaco has traveled to upper Manhattan but for the most part, hasn’t strayed too far from the park. He flew to world famous shopping district around Fifth Avenue, where NYPD officers attempted to capture him but were unable to cuff him.

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Flaco captivated audiences around the city, including a visit to Central Park’s skating rink. It looks like Flaco will be free for now, especially if he continues to assist with New York City's rat problem. The owl apparently has taken nicely to helping out with NYC Mayor Adam's quest to free the city of the rodents. Go Flaco!