The vandal or vandals have not been identified as of February 14. On February 2, 2023, someone vandalized Flaco's enclosure at the zoo. It was located in the Temperate Territory part of the zoo, near a theater and the Penguins and Sea Birds building. His enclosure was about the size of a bus stop, according to Gothamist, with fake rocks, a few branches, and a painted backdrop. įlaco was taken to the Central Park Zoo in 2010, when he was less than a year old, and had lived in captivity there for more than 12 years at the time of his escape. Within their range, they have been known to live in city parks, but no part of their range overlaps with North America.

They are found in many habitats, but are mostly birds of mountainous regions or other rocky areas, often those near varied woodland edge and shrubby areas with openings or wetlands to hunt a majority of their prey. They are nocturnal predators, mostly eating small mammals such as rodents and rabbits, as well as occasional larger mammals and birds of varying sizes. The facial disc is not very defined and the orange eyes are distinctive. The underparts are a variably hued buff, streaked with darker coloring. This bird has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are mottled with darker blackish coloring and tawny. It is one of the largest species of owl, with males, which are slightly smaller than females, weighing from 1.2 to 3.2 kg (2.6 to 7.1 lb), with a wingspan of 131–188 cm (4 ft 4 in – 6 ft 2 in). The Eurasian eagle-owl ( Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. Attempts to recapture Flaco continue, alongside a petition to allow him to remain free, and ongoing concerns over other dangers of the park, like rodenticide. There were concerns for the bird's ability to feed himself after being captive for so long, without the need to fly or hunt, but he was seen successfully catching and eating rats a week later. As an exotic species in North America, and one that was confined to a small enclosure in a zoo, his escape attracted significant public and press attention. Flaco is a male Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped his long-time enclosure at Central Park Zoo in New York City and took up residence in Central Park in February 2023.

The owls of the eastern ice