Flaco the owl escapes cage in Central Park Zoo

A superhero origin story would absolutely be 12 years in a cage and then set free by secretive criminals. That’s the story of Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, released from his vandalised cage in Central Park Zoo, New York City.  But how long could Flaco possibly last in the graveyard of bird diversity that is the city? How long could he fly without confusing a window for the sky? Featuring: Ed Shanahan, Metro reporter, The New York Times. Julia Wang, Project Leader, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Brendon Samuels, Fatal Light Awareness Program and Western University in Canada. Dr Kylie Soanes, Urban ecologist at The University of Melbourne. Mat Howard, Midjuburi Ward (Marrickville), Inner West Council, NSW. Kat and Zach, Flaco Song. Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Additional mastering:  Hamish Camilleri. This episode of What the Duck was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung people.  Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.