Beloved NYC Owl Had Rat Poison in System When it Died

An owl whose life in the wild captivated New Yorkers after an escape from a vandalized cage at a city zoo had a herpesvirus and poison in its system when it died last month, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Flaco the owl became a local celebrity after fleeing the Central Park Zoo in February 2023. At the time, animal experts warned the public of the risks the bird faced in the wild, The Washington Post reported.

The Eurasian eagle owl was found dead in the courtyard of a Manhattan building after it had flown into the Upper West Side structure on Feb. 23, according to onlookers.

"Bronx Zoo veterinary pathologists determined that in addition to the traumatic injuries, Flaco had two significant underlying conditions," WCS, which oversees the zoo, said in a Monday release .

"He had a severe pigeon herpesvirus from eating feral pigeons that had become part of his diet, and exposure to four different anticoagulant rodenticides that are commonly used for rat control in New York City."

WCS added that the herpesvirus and rodenticides "would have been debilitating and ultimately fatal, even without a traumatic injury, and may have predisposed him to flying into or falling from the building."

Initial necropsy findings released the day after Flaco suggested the owl, which would have turned 14 this month, had sustained an acute traumatic injury to its body, with signs of substantial hemorrhage under its sternum and in its back near the liver, The New York Times reported. There also was evidence of bleeding behind its left eye, but no signs of head trauma or broken bones, the society said.

Paul Calle, WSC chief veterinarian, told the Post that the virus, rat poisons, and the injuries all might have contributed to the owl's death.

"Sadly, they're all things that we've seen in the past," Calle told the Post. "They're kind of some of the risks that wildlife have when they live in the city."

The owl, hatched on March 15, 2010, at a North Carolina bird park, arrived at the Central Park Zoo less than two months later.

Flaco appeared on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk after someone shredded the mesh on its enclosure at the zoo on Feb. 2, 2023, the Times reported. Zoo staff tracked the owl but were unable to capture it with bait and owl-call recordings, the Post said.

New Yorkers enjoyed taking photos of Flaco's movements, and others followed its whereabouts online, including on the popular X account Manhattan Bird Alert.

No arrests have been made regarding the vandalism, and police have said as investigation is continuing.