Flaco, the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl who died in Manhattan last month, had high levels of rat poison in his system and was suffering from "a severe pigeon herpesvirus" at the time of his passing, the Central Park Zoo said Monday.
In a statement, the zoo said post-mortem testing showed Flaco had "two significant underlying conditions" when he flew into a building on the Upper West Side: the viral infection, which was caused by eating feral pigeons, and "exposure to four different anticoagulant rodenticides that are commonly used for rat control" in the city.
What You Need To Know
- Flaco the owl had high levels of rat poison in his system and was suffering from a "severe pigeon herpesvirus" at the time of his death, the Central Park Zoo said
- The zoo said the viral infection was caused by eating feral pigeons. and Flaco was also exposed to "four different anticoagulant rodenticides that are commonly used for rat control" in the city
- Flaco died after colliding with a building on the Upper West Side in February. The beloved bird escaped his exhibit at the Central Park Zoo last year
"These factors 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," the zoo said.
The infection led to “severe tissue damage and inflammation in many organs, including the spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow and brain,” the zoo added.
While Bronx Zoo veterinary pathologists did not identify any other contributing factors in Flaco’s death during testing, they found the owl was exposed to “trace amounts of DDE, a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT."
However, the DDE levels detected in Flaco were not "clinically significant" and did not lead to his death, according to the Central Park Zoo.
"Flaco's severe illness and death are ultimately attributed to a combination of factors — infectious disease, toxin exposures, and traumatic injuries — that underscore the hazards faced by wild birds, especially in an urban setting," the zoo said.
Flaco escaped his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo in February 2023, after a vandal or vandals cut through its stainless steel mesh, the zoo said. He had lived there for 13 years.
The beloved bird died in February after colliding with a building on West 89th Street in Manhattan. He would have turned 14 this month.
The owl marked a full year of living in the wild last month. Bird enthusiasts had frequently spotted him in Central Park and on the Upper West Side after his escape.
Dozens of Flaco fans flocked to Central Park after his death to mourn his passing and pay tribute to his life.
