[press release from WCS]

WCS NEWS RELEASE
Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Has Died

New York City, Feb. 23, 2024 - The following statement was released by
Central Park Zoo:

We are saddened to report that Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl discovered
missing from the Central Park Zoo after his exhibit was vandalized just
over a year ago, is dead after an apparent collision with a building on
West 89th Street in Manhattan.

The downed owl was reported to the Wild Bird Fund (WBF) by people in the
building. Staff from the WBF quickly responded, retrieved the
non-responsive owl and declared him dead shortly afterward. The WBF
notified zoo staff, who picked up the bird and transported him to the
Bronx Zoo for necropsy.

The vandal who damaged Flaco's exhibit jeopardized the safety of the
bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful
that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make
an arrest.

Flaco frequently had been seen in and near Central Park and other
locations across Manhattan since Feb. 2, 2023. Our staff monitored him
throughout the year and were prepared to recover him if he showed any sign
of difficulty or distress.

We appreciate all the support and concern over the well-being of Flaco
throughout the past year and the many people who contacted us with
updates. We especially appreciate the quick response by the staff of the
Wild Bird Fund in their attempt to help Flaco.

We will provide additional information once a necropsy is performed and
further testing results are in.
======
https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22056/Flaco-the-Eurasian-Eagle-Owl-Has-Died.aspx
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

> WCS NEWS RELEASE
>Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Has Died

>The vandal who damaged Flaco's exhibit jeopardized the safety of the
>bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful
>that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make
>an arrest.
>
>Flaco frequently had been seen in and near Central Park and other
>locations across Manhattan since Feb. 2, 2023. Our staff monitored him
>throughout the year and were prepared to recover him if he showed any sign
>of difficulty or distress.

If they had the ability to recover him for over a year, but chose not to,
because they didn't think there would be a problem, they can't hang the
responsibility for his death on the vandal.

David Carson
--
Dead or Alive Data Base
http://www.doadb.com

In the previous article, David Carson <davidc@wa-wd.com> wrote:
> >Flaco frequently had been seen in and near Central Park and other
> >locations across Manhattan since Feb. 2, 2023. Our staff monitored
> >him throughout the year and were prepared to recover him if he
> >showed any sign of difficulty or distress.
>
> If they had the ability to recover him for over a year, but chose
> not to, because they didn't think there would be a problem, they
> can't hang the responsibility for his death on the vandal.

Not 100%, for sure.

Not recovering him was a political decision; his story was a very
popular one with New Yorkers, including the serious bird-watching
ones. And on top of that, he lived a pretty long life for an owl, at
least measured against owls in the wild.

Also, I assume he contributed to controlling the Central Park rat
problem, which is more than I can say any of the local politicians
accomplished.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone objects to any statement I make, I am
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / baldwin@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it.-T. Lehrer
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