New York’s Famous Owl, Flaco, Had High Amounts of Rat Poison in His System Before Passing Away, According to Test Results

Blood tests showed Flaco had been exposed to four different rat poisons and had a “severe” case of pigeon herpesvirus that had damaged his brain, liver, spleen, and other organs.

New York City’s celebrity owl Flaco was suffering from a severe pigeon-borne illness and high levels of rat poison when he crashed into a building and died last month, officials at the Bronx Zoo said on Monday. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

“These factors would have been debilitating and ultimately fatal, even without a traumatic injury,” the zoo said in a statement. “Flaco’s severe illness and death are ultimately attributed to a combination of factors — infectious disease, toxin exposures, and traumatic injuries — that underscore the hazards faced by wild birds, especially in an urban setting.”

After an unknown vandal snuck into the zoo and cut his cage, Flaco spent his initial days of freedom inside Central Park, before venturing out into the Manhattan skyline. Though he had lived his entire 13 years in captivity, he quickly proved a proficient hunter, preying on the city’s abundant rat population.

But his freedom also worried some experts, who said he faced an array of threats in the city, including the likelihood of consuming a poisoned rat.

In the days before his death, Flaco had ceased his nightly hooting from the city’s rooftops, prompting some to fear he was ill, according to David Barrett, a bird enthusiast who runs a social media page that documented the owl’s movements.

“Though these results remind us of the tragedy of Flaco’s passing, they also bring understanding and closure,” Barrett said.

Following his death, zoo officials placed the blame squarely on the vandal who cut his enclosure, a crime that remains unsolved.