Current:Home > BackDeath of beloved New York City owl, Flaco, in apparent building collision devastates legions of fans-LoTradeCoin
Death of beloved New York City owl, Flaco, in apparent building collision devastates legions of fans
View Date:2024-12-23 23:31:57
NEW YORK (AP) — Tributes poured in Saturday for Flaco, the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl that became a feel-good New York story after escaping its Central Park Zoo enclosure and flying free around Manhattan.
Flaco was found dead on a New York City sidewalk Friday night after apparently flying into a building. It was a heartbreaking end for the birders who documented the owl’s daily movements and the legions of admirers who eagerly followed along.
“Everybody feels the same, they’re devastated,” said Nicole Blair, a New York City artist who devoted much of her feed on the X platform to photos and memes featuring the celebrity owl with checkerboard black and brown feathers and round sunset-hued eyes.
Staff from the Wild Bird Fund, a wildlife rehabilitation center, declared Flaco dead shortly after the collision. A necropsy was expected on Saturday.
Flaco was freed from his cage at the zoo a little over a year ago by a vandal who breached a waist-high fence and cut a hole through a steel mesh cage. The owl had arrived at the zoo as a fledgling 13 years earlier.
Flaco sightings soon became sport. The owl spent his days perched on tree branches, fence posts and fire escapes and nights hooting atop water towers and preying on the city’s abundant rats.
Like a true celebrity, the owl appeared on murals and merchandise. A likeness occupied a spot on Blair’s New York City-themed Christmas tree, right next to “Pizza Rat,” the infamous rodent seen in a YouTube clip dragging a slice down a subway stairwell.
“I got to see him on my birthday,” Blair said of her encounter with Flaco in Central Park in the fall. “It was kind of an unbelievable situation, and I’m like, this is the best birthday present ever.”
But she and others worried when Flaco ventured beyond the park into more urban sections of Manhattan, fearing the owl would ingest a poisoned rat or encounter other dangers.
“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death,” the zoo said in a statement Friday. “We are still hopeful that the NYPD which is investigating the vandalism will ultimately make an arrest.”
Flaco fans on Saturday shared suggestions for a permanent bronze statue overlooking New York City. One requested that the owl’s remains be buried in Central Park.
“Flaco the Owl was, in many ways, a typical New Yorker -- fiercely independent, constantly exploring, finding ways to survive ever-changing challenges,” read a post on the X platform, reflecting a common sentiment. “He will be missed.”
David Barrett, who runs the Manhattan Bird Alert account, suggested a temporary memorial at the bird’s favorite oak tree in the park.
There, he wrote in a post, fellow birders could “lay flowers, leave a note, or just be with others who loved Flaco.”
veryGood! (35)
Related
- A growing and aging population is forcing Texas counties to seek state EMS funding
- See Kylie Jenner React to Results of TikTok's Aging Filter
- Climate Activists Reluctantly Back John Fetterman in Tightening Pennsylvania Senate Race
- Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates
- Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’
- What you need to know about aspartame and cancer
- Why Taylor Russell Supporting Harry Styles Has Social Media in a Frenzy
- OceanGate suspends its commercial and exploration operations after Titan implosion
- Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
- How Asimov's 'Foundation' has inspired economists
Ranking
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- Fox's newest star Jesse Watters boasts a wink, a smirk, and a trail of outrage
- Dua Lipa Fantastically Frees the Nipple at Barbie Premiere
- Post-Tucker Carlson, Fox News hopes Jesse Watters will bring back viewers
- FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo dies at 22 after injuries from October crash
- Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Love Triangle Comes to a Dramatic End in Tear-Filled Reunion Preview
- Melanie Griffith Covers Up Antonio Banderas Tattoo With Tribute to Dakota Johnson and Family
- Shein steals artists' designs, a federal racketeering lawsuit says
Recommendation
-
Sam LaPorta injury update: Lions TE injures shoulder, 'might miss' Week 11
-
This is Canada's worst fire season in modern history — but it's not new
-
Sidestepping a New Climate Commitment, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Greenlights a Mammoth LNG Project in Louisiana
-
Save Up to $250 on Dyson Hair Tools, Vacuums, and Air Purifiers During Amazon Prime Day 2023
-
Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
-
What to know about Prime, the Logan Paul drink that Sen. Schumer wants investigated
-
Tribes object. But a federal ruling approves construction of the largest lithium mine
-
The best games of 2023 so far, picked by the NPR staff