Flaco The Owl who was cruelly released from Central Park Zoo, has died

Flaco the owl, who has lived in Central Park since last year, has passed away, the Wildlife Conservation Society reported.

Flaco the Eurasian eagle owl went missing from the Central Park Zoo, managed to evade capture, and became a symbol of survival and defiance. Against assumptions to the contrary, Flaco was able to hunt and survive on his own.

Unfortunately, it appears New York's beloved Flaco collided with a building on 89th street. Birder Alan Drogin discovered the owl.

A memorial was set up for Flaco at his favorite oak tree on the west side of East Drive on 104th street. 

Alan Drogin, a resident of the Upper West Side building where Flaco was found — and a birder for the past 30 years — said he discovered the owl after the superintendent alerted him around 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

“He was splayed out, face down. Just outside the basement door to the courtyard of our building,” Drogin said in an interview Saturday. “It was not a pretty sight.”

The bird had become a symbol of the defiant resilience that has characterized many of his fellow New Yorkers. He upended assumptions that he would not be able to hunt and survive in the wild city and has been spotted and photographed numerous times since gaining his freedom.