Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl whose escape from the Central Park Zoo and wanderlust captivated New York City, had a lethal dose of rat poison and a severe pigeon virus in his body when he died in an attack on the Upper West Side last month. building.
Findings from an autopsy performed by a pathologist at the Bronx Zoo after Flaco's death on February 23 confirmed widespread concerns about the dangers he faced while living as a free bird in Manhattan for more than a year. confirmed. He would have turned 14 this month.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates Central Park, said: “Flaco's severe illness and death are ultimately believed to be due to a combination of factors, including infection, exposure to toxins, and trauma. “This highlights the dangers faced by wild birds, especially in urban environments.” the Bronx Zoo said in a statement.
Initial autopsy findings, released the day after Mr. Flaco's death, suggested that he had suffered acute trauma to his body, with signs of heavy bleeding under his sternum and in his back near his liver. It has been suggested.
There was evidence of bleeding behind his left eye, but there were no signs of head trauma or broken bones, the association said. Flaco was in “good physical condition” with “good muscle” and “adequate fat stores.” At the time of his death, he weighed 4.1 pounds, just a tenth of a pound lighter than at his last weigh-in at the zoo.
The association said at the time of the initial discovery that additional tests were needed to determine if any underlying factors contributed to his death.
To confirm the effects of trauma, these tests revealed he had a severe pigeon herpesvirus infection, but the conservation society said it was caused by him eating wild pigeons. Thought.
The herpes virus can infect healthy pigeons, but it can cause fatal disease in owls and other birds of prey that become infected by eating pigeons, the association said.
The association said Flaco's viral infection caused severe tissue damage and inflammation in many organs, including his spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow and brain.
Toxicology tests also revealed that Flaco had been exposed to four types of anticoagulant rodenticides commonly used in New York City to control rats.
Together, the preservation association says that exposure to the pigeon virus and rodenticide “may have caused debilitation and eventual death even in the absence of trauma, predisposing the animal to jumping into or falling from a building.” ” he said.
No other factors were identified in the extensive testing conducted.
Toxicology tests also found trace amounts of DDE, a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT, which has been banned in the United States since the early 1970s. The association said that while the concentrations detected did not contribute to Flaco's death, the discovery was “a reminder of DDT's long legacy and its devastating impact on wild bird populations.”
Flaco passed away three weeks after living alone for a year. His reaching the unlikely milestone was impressive, but it did not absolve him of the serious risks he faced in a wildlife experiment that was unprecedented, at least for New York.
Flaco hatched on March 15, 2010 at Bird Park, North Carolina, and arrived at the Central Park Zoo less than two months later. It was far from the natural habitat for birds like him.
The Eurasian eagle owl, known by its scientific name Bubo bubo, is an apex predator commonly found in most parts of Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, and Central Asia. It is one of the largest owls in the world, with a wingspan of 6 feet. This bird thrives on rocky areas near mountains and forests, swooping down at night to hunt rodents, rabbits, and other prey.
For most of Flaco's first 13 years, his life was unremarkable. That all changed on the night of February 2, 2023, when someone tore open the mesh from the zoo's cage and revealed him on the sidewalk of Fifth Avenue. No one has been arrested. Police said the investigation is continuing.
There were serious questions about whether Flaco could grow outside of captivity. When he indoctrinates himself into the Central Park Mouse Party and proves his doubters wrong, he becomes an underdog worth rooting for. Birdwatchers, ornithologists, and the general public tracked his movements in person and often online.
Wildlife Conservation Society workers tried to rescue him multiple times, but backed off after he showed he could fend for himself. Eventually, he settled into a comfortable routine at the north end of the park, and around Halloween he began wandering from the East Village to the Upper West Side.
Experts and others tried to dampen excitement over his unlikely stay. Eagle owls can live over 40 years in captivity, but only an average of 20 years in the wild. And no one could predict if or when urban hazards such as rat poison, building collisions, and vehicle collisions would shorten his life.
After leaving the park, Flaco was mostly able to avoid vehicles by clinging to rooftops, water towers, and other high points in the built environment. However, given his diet, rat poison was a serious concern and the risk of him hitting a building was high. Up to 230,000 birds die each year in New York City by hitting windows, New York City Audubon says.
As it appears to have happened, he could have been the victim of multiple dangers. Barry, a female barred owl who became a regular at the park during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, suffered a similar fate.
After Barry died in a collision with a Central Park Conservancy vehicle in August 2021, an autopsy determined he died of blunt force trauma, according to a medical report from the Department of Environmental Protection. However, she also had potentially lethal levels of rat poison in her system, which may have impaired her ability to fly.
As for Flaco, his body was discovered by a director in the backyard of a building on West 89th Street, who immediately recognized him.
The supermarket and residents contacted rescue group Wild Bird Foundation, whose volunteers quickly responded and retrieved Flaco. He was alive at the time, but was pronounced dead shortly after, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
On March 3, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil at Flaco's favorite oak tree, which Flaco's followers said was located at the north end of the park, and left flowers, letters and other colorful memorabilia at the base of the trunk. left. Speakers read poems and shared how Flaco inspired and moved them.
As of Monday, about 4,300 people had signed an online petition calling for a life-size statue of Flaco to be installed in Central Park in his honor. A second online petition, calling for police and conservation societies to “reopen” the investigation into those responsible for destroying Flaco's habitat, has gathered more than 48,000 signatures.
