The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) Flaco escaped from his longtime enclosure in New York City’s Central Park Zoo in February 2023, attracting many admirers and enchanting millions. While his life was ultimately cut short a year after his escape, Flaco left a lasting impact on many, including enthusiastic birders and photographers Jacqueline Emery and David Lei, who celebrate Flaco’s journey in the form of their book, Finding Flaco: Our Year With New York City’s Beloved Owl.
Their book, which contains over 200 pages of heartfelt words and brilliant photographs, is a testament to Flaco and his influence. But before understanding how Flaco enchanted New Yorkers, it is worth understanding where he came from and, ultimately, how his life ended.
Flaco was born in a bird park in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, on March 15, 2010. Like many of his siblings, Flaco was sent to a zoo shortly after his birth. He arrived at the Central Park Zoo on May 9, 2010, and made his public debut that November.
It didn’t take long for Flaco to become a fan favorite, joining the likes of other famous inhabitants at the Central Park Zoo, like Gus the Polar Bear and Sally the Sea Lion. Throughout much of his life at the zoo, Flaco lived in a “humble enclosure” near the park’s popular penguin exhibit.
For nearly 13 years, this is where Flaco stayed, in his Central Park Zoo enclosure with decorative rocks, vegetation, and a steady stream of admiring guests. But everything changed on February 2, 2023, when a vandal scaled a barrier at the zoo and cut part of the metal mesh of Flaco’s enclosure, enabling the owl to make his famed escape.
Following his release, which is a complicated topic for many, Flaco quickly gained a following. While some knew who Flaco was and that he was not a native inhabitant of New York City or North America, others thought he was a beautiful bird flying around like normal. Nothing was normal about this situation, and Flaco had never spent a second of his life as a wild bird.
Although there were numerous attempts to capture Flaco and return him to his zoo habitat, the Eurasian eagle-owl was resistant to the efforts, and as attention surrounding Flaco increased, his ability to evade capture followed in suit. The Central Park Zoo ultimately decided to stop recapture efforts and let Flaco live wild and free.
For experts, the first few days and weeks of Flaco’s newfound freedom in New York City were nerve-racking. Whether he could fend for himself was an immediate concern, but Flaco successfully hunted for food just a week after his release. He began exhibiting normal wild owl behavior and even began hooting, something that Emery and Lei note Flaco had very rarely done in captivity. Flaco’s instincts kicked in quickly, and respectful observers began tracking and following Flaco around the area.
There were many wonderful moments in those first few weeks and months, and it looked like Flaco was going to overcome the odds and live a wild owl’s life. Eurasian eagle-owls can live up to 60 years in captivity, but a typical wild owl’s lifespan is more like 20 years.
Tragically, Flaco did not get to live a long life. While he did his best and quickly acquired the skills he needed to survive, the unnatural habitat and its hazards proved too much to overcome. On February 23, 2024, Flaco, the beloved owl, was found facedown in New York City’s Upper West Side with traumatic injuries. Despite intense rescue efforts, he succumbed to his injuries just a few weeks shy of his 14th birthday.
A necropsy determined Flaco had either flown into a building or had fallen from a significant height. His body had lethal levels of rodenticide — Flaco had been eating a lot of rats — and he had contracted a pigeon-borne virus.
Although Flaco has died, his spirit lives on through the people whose lives he touched. Unbeknownst to Flaco, he inspired many people in his short life, and his legacy will live on for a very long time.
Emery and Lei’s heartfelt book and the photos therein will also play a vital role in keeping Flaco’s spirit alive.
The Origins of ‘Finding Flaco’
“Flaco captivated us from the moment he unexpectedly entered our lives the night he was released from the Central Park Zoo by a vandal. We worried about his welfare and hoped he would be rescued before getting hurt. As he learned to take care of himself, we cheered his rapid transformation into a wild owl and supported the zoo’s decision to allow him to remain free. And we marveled at the sight of a Eurasian eagle-owl in New York City, far away from the native regions of the species,” the authors tell PetaPixel.
Emery and Lei observed Flaco nearly every night during his summer of freedom. At this time, they decided to pursue a book project that would tell Flaco’s incredible story. Preliminary work on the book kicked into high gear just months before Flaco passed away.
“When he died, we weren’t sure if we should move forward with the book. After taking some time to reflect on it, we decided we wanted to do it to preserve Flaco’s legacy for all of the people who had rooted for him, for those who might not know his story yet, and for ourselves. Putting the book together was a way to give ourselves a sense of closure.”
Emery and Lei learned much about Flaco through their observations, including his individual habits and how they compared to owls native to North America and wild Eurasian eagle-owls.
“We talked with owl researchers and conservationists. We even traveled to Europe to visit [Flaco’s] cousins. It was bittersweet to photograph Eurasian eagle-owls in Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany, including in urban settings that reminded us a lot of photographing Flaco in New York City.”
Bonding Through Photography
As passionate wildlife photographers know, when you photograph the same individual repeatedly, you feel connected to the animal. While always respecting wild animals is vital, it’s almost impossible not to feel something and want the best for them.
“We adored Flaco and rooted for him from the start,” Emery and Lei say.
“Over time, we felt that he recognized us and we earned his trust. He was very comfortable hunting around us — so much so that sometimes he would perch in a tree or land on the ground mere feet from where we were already standing. One of the things we enjoy most is photographing owls on interesting perches. In this respect, Flaco proved to be an engaging and obliging subject. He perched on Central Park’s iconic benches, landmark Upper West Side buildings, and a variety of construction equipment. Many of our photos show him in the urban environment and reveal his adaptability. He was incredibly photogenic. We sometimes joked that he would pose for us. And we loved capturing his myriad expressions — contemplative, curious, and playful, just to name a few.”
One of their most memorable experiences with Flaco was among the very first, though.
“February 9, 2023, one week after Flaco’s release from the Central Park Zoo, was a crucial turning point in his story and one of our most memorable nights with him,” the writers say. “Early that night, Flaco flew down to one of the traps set by rescuers to catch him. Flaco’s talons were almost ensnared in the trap but he became alarmed and hopped over onto the field a few feet away. In Jackie’s photograph of that moment, Flaco is standing next to the trap and stares towards the camera with an air of defiance. Later that night, David saw Flaco hunt successfully for the first time nearby. He took a photo of Flaco carrying a huge brown rat in his beak. This moment changed everything for Flaco and for us. We knew then that he had the skills to survive as a wild owl in Central Park.”
Thanks to his charming personality, vigorous spirit, and ability to adapt to new, foreign surroundings, many of New York City’s felt a kinship with Flaco. Like many of New York City’s millions of inhabitants, he is from somewhere else.
“His many admirers saw parts of themselves in Flaco. Some saw him as an immigrant trying to find his way, as a bachelor looking for love, as the underdog who defies the odds. The photos and stories shared by us and others on social media also enabled Flaco’s fans to keep up with his adventures.”
As Emery and Lei rightly say, Flaco brought people together. A community formed of people who cared about Flaco and his story, and for Emery and Lei to share Flaco’s story through their observations and photos helped the community grow bigger and stronger.
“I saw Flaco for the first time the night he was released from the Central Park Zoo, after spotting social media reports of an owl sitting on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk and in apparent need of rescue. By the time I caught up to him, he had flown to a tree outside the Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store. I did not initially know he had come from the zoo but recognized he was a Eurasian eagle-owl, an owl species not native to North America, and therefore an escapee. Flaco looked very alert and uncomfortable that night, with his body skinny, ear tufts erect and eyes wide open. When planes passed overhead, he looked up in fear,” David Lei says.
As for Jacqueline Emery, her first thoughts were about Flaco’s striking appearance and emotional state.
“When I first saw Flaco, I thought to myself, ‘that owl is huge!’ I had never seen such a massive owl before. His deep orange eyes were stunning and unique (our native owls have yellow or dark brown irises). I could tell that he was anxious and scared based on his body language. He roosted on a bare branch in a tree that left him exposed to the gusting wind and mobbing birds. That first week was extremely stressful for him. Over time, he chose better roosts that provided some protection. He began to relax and seemed to be settling into his new life. I worried less about his welfare and felt calmer while photographing him,” Emery recalls.
Emery and Lei were very concerned for Flaco’s well-being, and observing and photographing him helped calm their nerves.
“We enjoy learning about owl behavior and getting to know owls as individuals. We also love sharing what we have learned with others through our photography. Flaco was one of the best teachers. He showed us what it really means to be hard-wired to hunt and fend for oneself in the wild.”
“It was thrilling to see him transform into a wild owl before our eyes,” they add.
While neither condone releasing zoo animals into the wild, they believe Flaco “made the most of his year of freedom.”
“He seemed to be enjoying himself as he explored Central Park and the city. Being able to document his transformation and his adventures was special and something we will never forget.”
While observation was the primary goal, photography was an essential part of the experience for Emery and Lei.
“Our sensitive cameras and bright lenses made it possible to see Flaco in the dark, when he would otherwise appear as a silhouette (or not even a silhouette) in our binoculars. Photography made it possible to pick out the fine details of his many expressions and to watch him engaging in interesting behaviors, such as hunting, exploring, interacting with other wildlife, and bathing,” they explain.
“We also enjoyed using our photos to tell Flaco’s story in social and traditional media. People around the world developed a real connection to Flaco even if they never had the opportunity to see him in person. We liked the idea that, through our photos, we were helping them to see and appreciate Flaco as we did.”
As fellow wildlife photographers know, the photographic challenges started with finding Flaco. Fortunately, he became a creature of habit in short order and was, by and large, predictable.
“We and our friends often knew exactly where he’d before at the start of every evening,” the writers say. Once he began his nightly adventures, they relied heavily on their birding experience and gradually “accumulated knowledge of the places he liked to visit.”
They used thermal binoculars and monoculars, which were helpful, too. But the best way to find Flaco was to follow his hoots.
As for the photography, they mostly captured images of Flaco using telephoto lenses on tripods. They used wireless camera releases to keep things steady since Flaco was often out at night. Sometimes Flaco was so still on a perch that they could shoot at shutter speeds as slow as a few seconds. Talk about a good subject.
Many photos in the book were captured using Sony a1 and a7 IV cameras with Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3, 400mm f/2.8, and 600mm f/4 lenses. They also experimented with some adapted Canon EF lenses, like a Canon 200mm f/2.
Flaco’s Legacy
Thanks in large part to people like Emery and Lei sharing Flaco’s adventures and life with his supporters, Flaco’s life and death have played a role in making wild birds safer.
The Bird Safe Buildings Act in New York was renamed the Feathered Lives Also Count (FLACO) Act. In New York City, three pieces of legislation, “Flaco’s Laws,” were introduced. One establishes a rat contraceptive pilot program to try to reduce the use of rodenticides in the city. Instead of killing rats, these non-toxic contraceptives will curtail the rat population by preventing some births.
“We hope that Flaco’s legacy will make New York a safer place for every bird that calls it home.”
“We wanted to contribute to Flaco’s legacy with Finding Flaco by raising awareness of these initiatives and by directly supporting nonprofits that benefit birds. To date, we’ve been able to donate $7,500 of the book’s proceeds to the Wild Bird Fund in New York, the International Owl Center in Minnesota and Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung der Eulen (“Society for the Conservation of Owls”) in Germany.”
“Flaco was certainly a creative muse for us, as he was for other photographers and artists of different mediums. He inspired drawings, paintings, needlework, poems, and even songs,” the duo says.
“When we looked back at our portfolio of Flaco photos, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we had to work with. Picking the photos to include in the book became a daunting and stressful multi-step process though. We had to increase our page count from 160 as originally planned to 224, so we could squeeze more in.”
While self-publishing Finding Flaco came with unique challenges, Emery and Lei are glad they retained complete creative control throughout the process. The book tells Flaco’s story in a heartfelt, knowledgeable, and honorable way. The book features over 200 of Emery and Lei’s photos, plus 29 more photos from incredible contributors.
Flaco touched countless lives during his time at the zoo and especially during his year of life in the concrete jungle of New York City. Finding Flaco not only celebrates Flaco’s incredible impact through fantastic photography and thoughtful text, but it is also a brilliant tribute to a bird who meant so much to so many. Flaco may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.
Image credits: © Jacqueline Emery and David Lei. All photos are from ‘Finding Flaco: Our Year with New York City’s Beloved Owl,’ which is available for purchase now.
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