Busy Philipps is among the stars mourning Flaco the owl, who died on Friday.Photo:Getty

Celebrities Mourn NYC Owl

Getty

Celebrities are taking to social media to mourn the death of a famous owl.

Flaco the owl— who gained public attention after he escaped from the Central Park Zoo in New York City in February 2023 after someone vandalized his cage and cut the stainless steel mesh that kept him inside — died on Friday. He was 13.

In astatementposted on social media, the Wild Bird Fund announced that Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl who had beenflying around Manhattansince he escaped the zoo, was found “lying face down” and “unresponsive” in the courtyard of an apartment building in the Upper West Side neighborhood.

Flaco the owl.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty

Owl Who Escaped New York City Zoo Dies Mourned by CelebritiesÂ

Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty

“I’m actually devastated,” Philipps, 44, wrote ina poston Instagram on Friday, featuring a screenshot of a social media post about the owl’s death.

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Banks, 50, shared a video of Flaco within a gallery onInstagram.

Wild Bird Fund said in its Instagram post that learning of Flaco’s death was “a deeply sad day for all of us,” acknowledging the bird’s many fans. “Like you, like all of NYC, we are heartbroken,” they wrote.

PerThe Washington Post, the Central Park Zoo released its own statement about Flaco’s death, expressing its desire to bring the person who vandalized the owl’s cage to justice.

“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest,” the zoo said.

source: people.com