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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Aliya Uteuova in New York

Freedom has been a hoot, but can Flaco the owl survive New York City?

an owl in a tree
There were fears Flaco would not survive outside captivity, but the owl has defied the odds for nine months. Photograph: Courtesy Ron Lugo

“Is he back?” Russell Davis exclaimed, as he spotted a group of people looking up at a tree during his afternoon bike ride. Davis stopped in his tracks, dismounted and joined the onlookers admiring a statuesque owl with piercing orange eyes and unmistakable ear tufts. New York’s Central Park has experienced a homecoming of sorts, perhaps even a minor Thanksgiving miracle – the return of the beloved celebrity bird known as Flaco.

Since February, the Eurasian eagle owl had been living wild after fleeing the Central Park zoo, where he had been an exhibit for 13 years, after his enclosure was vandalized.

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