- Flaco, New York City’s famous owl, died after colliding with a building due to severe pigeon-borne disease and high concentrations of rat poison.
- The eagle owl was found dead in a Manhattan courtyard last month, more than a year after it escaped from the Central Park Zoo.
- After escaping, Flaco lived in Central Park and became a skilled hunter, but faced various threats, including poisonous rats.
Flaco, New York City’s celebrity owl, was suffering from a severe pigeon-borne illness and high levels of rat poison when he crashed into a building last month and died, Bronx Zoo officials announced Monday.
The great eagle owl was found dead in a Manhattan courtyard on February 23, more than a year after it escaped from a damaged enclosure at the Central Park Zoo and began a life in the urban wilderness that fascinated New Yorkers. Ta.
An initial autopsy indicated the cause of death was trauma, but further testing revealed two serious medical conditions may have contributed to the collision, zoo officials said.
New York’s ‘celebrity’ owl Flaco dies in building collision, prompting zoologists to investigate
Blood tests revealed that Flaco had been exposed to four different types of rat poison and had a “severe” pigeon herpesvirus that can damage the brain, liver, spleen and other organs.
Flaco, New York City’s celebrity owl, was suffering from a severe pigeon-borne illness and high levels of rat poison when he crashed into a building last month and died, Bronx Zoo officials announced Monday. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
“These factors would have been debilitating and ultimately fatal even without trauma,” the zoo said in a statement. “Flaco’s severe illness and death, ultimately thought to be due to a combination of factors including infection, exposure to toxins and trauma, highlights the dangers faced by wild birds, especially in urban environments. ing.”
After an unknown vandal sneaks into the zoo and cuts open his cage, Flaco spends his first free days inside Central Park before venturing out into the Manhattan skyline. Although he lived in captivity for all of his 13 years, he quickly proved to be a skilled hunter, and he preyed on the rats that were abundant in the city.
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But his freedom is also a concern for some experts, who say he faces a variety of threats in the city, including the possibility of ingesting poisonous rats.
David Barrett, a bird enthusiast who runs a social media page documenting the owl’s movements, said that in the days before his death, Flaco had stopped making nightly boos from rooftops in the city, leading some to fear he was ill. .
“These results remind us of the tragedy of Flaco’s death, but they also bring understanding and closure,” Barrett said.
After his death, zoo authorities placed the blame squarely on the vandals who cut into his enclosure, but the crime remains unsolved.
