An Owl Named "Flaco" Escaped A NYC Zoo 8 Months Ago And Has Been Living Freely In The City Ever Since

    #FreeFlaco.

    Matt Stopera
    by Matt Stopera

    BuzzFeed Staff

    I have a nice little story for you...

    britney spears with her lyrics changed to  this is a story about an owl named flaco
    Jive

    Back in February, over eight months ago, a little Eurasian owl named Flaco escaped his Central Park Zoo pen after vandals damaged his enclosure.

    owl on a tree
    Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images

    Zookeepers tried to catch him with nets and traps, but that didn't work.

    #Flaco, the wily Eurasian eagle owl who escaped from Central Park Zoo a week ago, giving zookeepers the fly-around tonight, avoiding their nets and traps #birdcpp pic.twitter.com/37pJGx6wZk

    — Bill Hutchinson (@bill_hutchinson) February 10, 2023
    Twitter: @bill_hutchinson

    The NYPD was no match for him.

    Well, that was a hoot 🦉
    We tried to help this lil wise guy, but he had enough of his growing audience & flew off. @NYCParks Rangers, be on the lookout — he was last seen flying south on 5th Avenue. @BirdCentralPark https://t.co/0kolDDBSY1 pic.twitter.com/AO9F7KSGcr

    — NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) February 3, 2023
    Twitter: @NYPD19Pct

    And evcentually, the zoo gave up on trying to get Flaco.

    Central Park Zoo stopping all efforts to recapture Flaco the escaped owl https://t.co/1XMMRu66YS pic.twitter.com/ffGnyISpmq

    — Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) February 19, 2023
    @NYCMayorsOffice/ Twitter: @ABC7NY

    Flaco was a free bird.

    owl in the tree with a squirrel approaching
    Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images

    And it seemed like Flaco enjoyed his new found freedom.

    It’s so cool to see and hear Flaco again today . He was still on the West Drive and 104th street . Glad to hear him just before it started to rain .#birdcpp pic.twitter.com/y3kvqeGFWS

    — Stella Hamilton (@StellaH07773809) February 22, 2023
    Twitter: @StellaH07773809

    For months, Flaco lived in Central Park, surviving on a plentiful supply of rats.

    Shortly before Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl caught a rat, he was playing shallow right field—on the Heckscher Fields of Central Park on Saturday night. What a thrill to see Flaco adapt so quickly to living in the wild! pic.twitter.com/Gnrlc0vGHM

    — Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) February 12, 2023
    Twitter: @BirdCentralPark

    He gained quite the fan base known as "Flacoholics."

    In Central Park, the Flaco fan club, waiting for the great owl to wake. Blessings on these Flacoholics. pic.twitter.com/sQSOj6pVgE

    — Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger) April 16, 2023
    Twitter: @jaynordlinger

    Things seemed to be going great for them!

    King of the North Woods and another cute friend, earlier today.

    Happy 1 month of freedom, Flaco!@flaco_theowl @BirdCentralPark
    #birdcpp #owls #birds #centralpark #flaco pic.twitter.com/8VNqA42MPb

    — Yifat (@yifat78) March 2, 2023
    Twitter: @yifat78

    Then, almost suddenly, at the end of October, Flaco disappeared.

    flaco in the tree with his beak open
    Sheryl Checkman / Getty Images/500px

    People wondered where he went?

    worried about this fella as he hasn't been seen since halloween he's disappeared before but not for this long
    Twitter: @ElleNewland

    A week later, he showed up again.

    Just saw Flaco flying south from the East Village to the Lower East Side. #birdcp

    — David Lei (@davidlei) November 9, 2023
    Twitter: @davidlei

    Flaco was spotted a few miles down the road in the East Village and Lower East Side.

    Twitter: @RobinHerbstPapa

    He seemed well!

    Flaco on the Lower East Side pic.twitter.com/mPXEoOij4R

    — Urban Hawks (@urbanhawks) November 9, 2023
    Twitter: @urbanhawks

    He was spotted having a stare-off with some man on a balcony.

    Flaco wasn’t a fan of this guy out on his balcony tonight. pic.twitter.com/fWS8dcah66

    — ᴄʜʀɪs sᴛ ʟᴀᴡʀᴇɴᴄᴇ (@chrisstIawrence) November 10, 2023
    Twitter: @chrisstIawrence

    The Manhattan Bird Alert account said he looks healthy and strong.

    Twitter: @BirdCentralPark

    They also said they think he left Central Park because he is on the lookout for a mate.

    🧵 We think that Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl left Central Park in search of a mate. It's the time of year when these owls look to pair up if unattached. Flaco's hoots have gone unanswered for a long time now. He is unaware that no mates are anywhere in the region.

    — Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) November 7, 2023
    Twitter: @BirdCentralPark

    Flaco's journey continues a bit downtown.

    Sheryl Checkman / Getty Images/500px

    As this person said, "Keep enjoying those freedom views, Flaco."

    Keep enjoying those freedom views, Flaco 🦉 https://t.co/6fCPENjzNp

    — Becca McMurdie (@BeccaMcMurdie) November 9, 2023
    Twitter: @BeccaMcMurdie