An owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo in New York City has been spotted hunting alone and getting used to the wildlife while becoming a local celebrity in the park.
Skinny, a Eurasian eagle owl, was first discovered missing from the zoo on February 2 after its exhibit was vandalized and the mesh around it was cut, causing officials to worry about whether the owl could survive for long. If only.
Those concerns were quickly allayed after Flaco was seen in the area catching prey on his own and the zoo says it’s “no longer a concern” if he can feed himself.
“Several days ago, we observed it successfully hunting, trapping and consuming prey,” the zoo said in a statement last week. “We have seen a rapid improvement in his flying skills and in his ability to confidently maneuver around the park.”
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Skinny, a Eurasian Eagle Owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo, continues to roost and hunt in Central Park in New York City. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
The zoo has been trying to win the owl back by luring it with food, which has not yet been successful, saying it “will need to rethink our approach.”
“Our observations indicate that he appears to be comfortable in the area of the park where he has been hunting, and we do not want to do anything to encourage him to leave this site,” the zoo statement said. “We are also aware that it faces potential challenges in this environment on a daily basis. We will continue to monitor it, albeit not as intensively, and look to opportunistically bring it back when the situation is right.”
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Bird watchers watch Skinny, a Eurasian eagle owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo, as he continues to roam free in Central Park in New York City on Sunday. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
On Friday, the zoo issued a follow-up statement explaining that they had tried to lure Flaco into captivity with bait and recordings of barn owl calls, but he chose to remain in the wild.
“Although he showed some interest in the calls, the attempt was unsuccessful,” the statement said. “As we noted earlier, efforts to recover the bird have proven more difficult as it has been very successful hunting and consuming the abundant prey items in the park.”
The owl has drawn crowds in Central Park, and one bystander, retired corrections officer Kenny Cwiok, told The Associated Press that the owl is “a celebrity” and that he believes the animal can survive in the wild.
The Eurasian eagle owl is one of the largest owl species with a wingspan of up to 79 inches, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. It has large claws and distinctive ear tufts.
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Skinny, a Eurasian eagle owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, continues to roost and hunt in Central Park in New York City on Wednesday. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Like the mandarin duck, the Eurasian eagle-owl is not native to North America, but native owl species, including great horned owls and barred owls, frequent Central Park, where they feed on rats, mice, and smaller birds. .
Dustin Partridge, director of conservation and science for NYC Audubon, said he hopes Flaco’s plight will raise awareness about the escaped bird’s wild cousins. “There is a lot of owl life in the city,” Partridge said. “If you’ve never seen an owl, they are majestic creatures.”
The New York Police Department is investigating the vandalism incident that led to the owl’s escape.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
