Flaco, Central Park Zoo owl who had been flying free, has died

Flaco, the famous Central Park Zoo owl who went missing after a vandal tampered with the bird’s exhibit more than a year ago, has died, zoo officials said Friday.

The owl struck a building in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the zoo said in a statement shared by the World Conservation Society, which runs the zoo.

Flaco was picked up by members of the World Bird Fund after people in the building contacted the rehabilitation center, the zoo said.

Flaco was unresponsive and quickly declared dead. The owl was transferred to the Bronx Zoo for a necropsy.

Whoever damaged the exhibit “is ultimately responsible for his death,” the zoo said in the statement.

“We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest,” it said.

A New York Police Department spokesperson said he was unfamiliar with the status of the case but said officials would respond after looking into it.

The Eurasian eagle owl had been spotted around Central Park and other areas of Manhattan over the last year, the zoo said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.