NEW YORK (PIX11) – The cause of death has been revealed for Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who became a local celebrity after escaping from New York City's Central Park Zoo last year.
Flaco died after colliding with a building on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, the Central Park Zoo announced Friday.
Pathologists performed a necropsy on Flaco over the weekend and determined he died due to acute traumatic injury.
“The main impact appears to have been to the body, as there was substantial hemorrhage under the sternum and in the back of the body cavity around the liver,” a statement from the Central Park Zoo said. “There also was a small amount of bleeding behind the left eye, but otherwise there was no evidence of head trauma. No bone fractures were found.”
Flaco’s body was in good physical condition before his death, authorities said. But zoologists are now investigating whether any underlying factors may have negatively impacted his health or contributed to his death.
“This will include microscopic examination of tissue samples; toxicology tests to evaluate potential exposures to rodenticides or other toxins; and testing for infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus and Avian Influenza. Results from this testing will take weeks to be completed,” the Central Park Zoo's statement said.
Flaco gained fame after he escaped from the Central Park Zoo after someone cut a hole through his enclosure in February of 2023.
Flaco had been seen in and near Central Park and other locations across Manhattan since leaving the zoo.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
