Central Park Zoo owl flies away after vandalism suspect opens enclosure

Police said the wayward owl was on the run Friday after escaping from an enclosure at the Central Park Zoo that appeared to have been deliberately opened.

A spokesperson for the zoo said the Eurasian eagle owl Flaco went missing around 8:30 pm Thursday.

According to a spokesman, the stainless steel mesh in Flaco’s fencing appears to have been cut. Police were investigating the incident as a possible crime.

After flying around the chicken coop, Flaco went on a tour of the neighborhood.

Passers-by spotted Flaco at Fifth Avenue and E. 60th Street, near the zoo, around 9 p.m. Thursday. – said the police and the representative of the zoo.

The crowd watched as emergency personnel tried to cage the bird, police said, but Flaco was not ready to return home and flew away again.

“Well, that was a thrill” The NYPD 19th Precinct tweeted.. “We tried to help this little smart guy, but he got fed up with his growing audience and flew away.”

Later Thursday evening, zoo staff saw Flaco sitting in a tree outside the zoo and followed him throughout the night.

At dawn, Flaco flew back to the southeast corner of Central Park and perched on a hard-to-reach tree branch near Hallett Nature Reserve, north of West 59th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

On Friday afternoon, cops and city parks officers tried to lure Flaco with live mice, but to no avail.

“Our focus and efforts are currently focused on the safe recovery of the owl,” a zoo spokesperson said.

Eurasian eagle owls, one of the world’s largest owls, are found in much of Europe and Asia, as well as parts of North Africa.