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So Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl is useless — killed in a collision with an Higher West Facet constructing Friday, a 12 months after vandals lower the wires on his cage, simply contained in the Central Park Zoo.
Nicely-meaning, naïve New Yorkers had spun the owl’s story as a feel-good story: Flaco had appeared completely happy within the “wild,” so, vandals apart, all’s properly that ends properly.
Actually, it at all times was a story of vicious vandals — who nonetheless haven’t been caught — maliciously abusing a defenseless animal, abuse that has resulted in that animal’s merciless killing.
In early February 2023, prison vandals broke into Flaco’s cage, permitting the hen, a creature of the zoo for 12 years, to fly away.
At first, the zoo frantically tried to recapture Flaco.
With the hen’s survival in peril, the press and the general public performed the story straight.
The owl “was the topic of an intense rescue effort late Friday after getting free on account of vandals,” The New York Occasions wrote, and severe birdwatchers apprehensive about his capacity to hunt.
However Flaco quickly did study to hunt — and have become a feel-good meme.
“It’s straightforward to see ourselves in a chubby little homebody who ditched his one-room condo for the nice outside,” the Occasions incorrectly noticed. “His story was a cliffhanger about escape and freedom and resilience.”
Flaco didn’t escape, although, however seemingly fled in worry of strangers who threatened him.
Nor was he ever “free” however caught in a metropolis stuffed with “luxurious” glass skyscrapers inhospitable to birds and consuming meals (pigeons and rodents) doubtlessly laced with rat poison.
(Flaco died of trauma; it’s not clear whether or not poison-induced disorientation could have contributed to his demise.)
Everywhere in the metropolis, for a 12 months, novice “birdwatchers” posted their iPhone pictures of Flaco.
Sure, all of us want a diversion, and making gentle of what had appeared to show right into a enjoyable state of affairs is hardly the worst sin on the earth.
Nonetheless, although, the New Yorkers taking footage of Flaco didn’t sympathize with the hen.
They empathized with him, in probably the most superficial of anthropomorphic methods.
Flaco was similar to them!
He needed a much bigger condo!
He needed to discover the town!
He “celebrated” his one-year anniversary of freedom!
Flaco turned a vacationer attraction.
Nothing to do? Exit to Central Park and be a part of the remainder of the social-media mob and attempt to discover the wild hen.
And the images individuals took of Flaco, with their always-at-hand ready-to-prey “cell units,” weren’t true reflections of an animal at peace on the earth.
They had been simply humorous: Right here’s Flaco trying in my window! Right here’s Flaco with a squirrel!
(Sure, Flaco received his personal unauthorized Twitter account, in fact.)
As a result of Flaco had what appeared to people like an unruffled, serene expression — which was simply our personal notion, not the hen’s emotion — individuals shortly stopped caring whether or not Flaco was really surviving properly.
And now we all know the inevitable reply: No.
The true story of Flaco is that an unprevented small crime led to an enormous one.
Regardless of the motive of the prison or criminals who broke into Flaco’s cage, the motion led to the hen’s struggling and acute traumatic demise.
And the narcissistic conduct of the New Yorkers who noticed in Flaco their very own lives displays an all-too-common method to different metropolis points.
Town is secure; there are not any shootings in my neighborhood!
The subway is secure; I wasn’t one of many many ladies viciously assaulted prior to now few years!
The Central Park Zoo, to its credit score, has by no means made a joke of Flaco’s seemingly distressing, disorienting 12 months in an unfeeling metropolis extra involved in Instagram than in animal welfare — a 12 months that culminated in Flaco’s violent, deadly crash.
Over the weekend, the zoo reiterated, “The vandal who broken Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the protection of the hen and is finally answerable for his demise. We’re nonetheless hopeful that the NYPD . . . will finally make an arrest.”
Good, and let’s hope District Lawyer Alvin Bragg ensures that he, she or they do actual jail time.
If the animal-cruelty regulation doesn’t carry a harsh-enough penalty, felony housebreaking and felony larceny — when really prosecuted — definitely do.
Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s Metropolis Journal.
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