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‘A real HOO-Dini’: Eurasian eagle-owl Flaco escapes from Central Park Zoo after vandals cut exhibit mesh

Flaco, a Eurasian Eagle-owl, was discovered missing from its display around 8.30 pm after its exhibit was destroyed and the stainless steel mesh was cut

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A huge owl has escaped from the Central Park Zoo after its display was vandalized, according to zoo officials. At 8.30 pm, a Eurasian eagle owl named Flaco was discovered missing from its display at the Upper East Side Zoo in Manhattan. Officials claimed it escaped from its enclosure at the Central Park Zoo on Thursday, February 2, after vandals let it out. "The exhibit had been vandalized and the stainless steel mesh cut," the Central Park Zoo said in a statement.

A search for the bird was started after the finding. Flaco had not traveled very far, though; about half an hour later it was seen by onlookers and police less than a block east of Central Park on Fifth Avenue. The nocturnal bird of prey, however, proved too elusive for officers and escaped, according to cops.

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Residents on Upper East Side were astonished and concerned when they discovered the owl on a neighborhood sidewalk near a Citibank. Some people saw he was sporting a band on his leg and appeared scared or bewildered. Locals contacted the NYPD, who responded and attempted to rescue the avian. Officers set up a perimeter and attempted to lure the owl into a pet container, as reported by Metro.

“Well, that was a hoot,” the NYPD 19th Precinct tweeted about their encounter with the bird. “We tried to help this lil wise guy, but he had enough of his growing audience & flew off. Rangers, be on the lookout — he was last seen flying south on 5th Avenue." The Central Park precinct of the NYPD called him "a recidivist in our area that magically disappears into the night, a real HOO-Dini." 

While publishing photographs of the bird on the pavement near a cage, the New York City Mayor's Office incorrectly tweeted that it had been saved. However, Flaco was later discovered perched in a tree near the zoo. Staff stayed close by that night, keeping an eye out for the bird. The next day, February 3, when the sun rose, Flaco flew from his perch on 5th Avenue back to Central Park, where the zoo claims it made visual contact with the bird. “Our focus and effort at this time is on the safe recovery of the owl,” the zoo noted in its statement. “We will issue updates as needed," as reported by Today News. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation urged that observers stay away from the loose owl in a tweet.

Surprisingly, the act resembles the recent increase in animal-targeted damage and theft at the Dallas Zoo.

What happened at the Dallas Zoo?

A man was arrested by Dallas police on Friday, January 27, in connection with the theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys, Bella and Finn, from the Dallas Zoo. The missing monkeys' case represented the most recent in a run of shady activities being looked into at the zoo; they were found safe on Tuesday, January 31, a day after they were reported missing, as reported by ABC News.

“We are pleased that video from our surveillance cameras — which we shared with Dallas PD — seems to have been critical in generating a tip that led to the recovery of the tamarins,” the zoo officials said. According to the zoo, Bella and Finn exhibited no signs of harm, had only lost a little weight, and will be returned to their habitat following a quarantine period.

What happened at the Louisiana Zoo?

Near midnight on Saturday, January 28, 12 squirrel monkeys were taken from Zoosiana, a zoo in Louisiana. Evidently, the robber had tools on them to cut the wire, pick locks, and damage the cage. The primates are still missing.