State 32 - New York

Central Park Zoo - NYC

I’ve been wondering how this big boy had been doing, and I saw this article yesterday about him.

He was let loose back in February by vandals, and originally his crew tried to catch him because they were wired here didn’t know how to hunt and wouldn’t do well in the cold winter and the dangerous environment of the city. After no success and public support too let him stay free, they stopped trying to catch him, and just kept a watchful eye on him instead.

It seems he’s doing well though and has learned to thrive in his new surroundings.

Here’s some links to the original and current articles about him. Yes, it’s Daily Mail, but the pics are guys and it’s mainly quotes about Flaco from fans, so there isn’t much to get wrong.

Original Article - Feb 2023

October 2023 Article

I’ll post some pics from the article and some snippets for those that don’t want to click through.

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    6·
    1 year ago

    'And as a non-native animal, this is an immigrant basically who has taken over Central Park.

    ‘People look at that and I think they have an affinity towards him because of his background, and that he is surviving, and nobody in the beginning thought that he would really make it.’

    ‘I love the way a lot of New Yorkers respond to him,’ she added. ‘I love that they’re really curious about him because a lot of people these days are not that curious about things in nature.’

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    5·
    1 year ago

    Anke Frohlich, a New Yorker who caught impressive photographs of Flaco in flight, said she has seen him eat four rats in one sitting.

    ‘I have observed Flaco eat up to four rats a night, which, from what I have heard, is four times what he used to eat in the zoo,’ Frohlich told DailyMail.com.

    ‘He has definitely gotten a lot bigger since his escape and he has found his voice. His hoots are full and strong. He makes himself heard across Central Park.’

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    5·
    1 year ago

    Utah tech worker and wildlife photographer Ryan Stott, 46, extended a recent work trip to New York by one day in the hope of catching sight of the coveted owl.

    ‘The whole experience of seeing such a beautiful bird in such a unique place was incredible,’ he said.

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    3·
    1 year ago

    'I saw changes right away. Flaco initially was not so adept at flying - certainly not so adept at landing - but he got better at it.

    'And amazingly - this is the most incredible thing of all - Flaco taught himself to hunt in a matter of a few days. That was not expected.

    'Historically animals raised in captivity, which was the case with Flaco, do not have the ability to survive well in the wild. They don’t learn survival skills.

    ‘Flaco is, as far as we know, the only wild Eurasian Eagle-Owl in all of North America—another reason that visitors come to Central Park to see him,’ he added.