I’m very grateful to have two of my Flaco photos included in the "Our Fragile Moment" exhibit at the Hudson Guild Gallery (441 W 26th St, NYC). Honored to stand alongside 31 amazing artists to spotlight the challenges our wildlife and planet face. 
Join us for an Earth Day gallery walk-through tomorrow from 3:30pm to 6pm.
Hope to see you there! 
Exhibit on view through April 24.
Flaco the Eurasian Eagle Owl of NYC 
#ThrowbackThursday to one year ago when I painted this in watercolor. Loved following the story of #Flaco. Fine art prints available in my shop.
If you're in #nyc, check out a new exhibit at the New York Historical Society. February 7 - July 6. "The Year of Flaco" https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/the-year-of-flaco
Postmortem on #Flaco found “two significant underlying conditions. He had a severe pigeon herpesvirus from eating feral pigeons that had become part of his diet, and exposure to four different anticoagulant rodenticides that are commonly used for rat control in New York City.”
Sharing my first blog on my new website. Flaco the Eurasian Eagle Owl of NYC.
https://www.elizabethkennenart.com/blog/flaco-the-eurasian-eagle-owl-of-nyc
My first blog on my new website is about #FlacotheOwl. This is my painting of him.
https://www.elizabethkennenart.com/blog/flaco-the-eurasian-eagle-owl-of-nyc
@peachfront I agree. His freedom reminded a lot of us that the great outdoors is where they belong and we should do our best to make our communities safe for owls, and other wildlife, not cage them away for “protection”. #Flaco gave us hope for something bigger amidst the dire and cynical context we live in. I was also super excited to see photos and hear tales of him thriving, hoping one day I’d see him in my walks. I will forever miss him.
Bummed that #Flaco the EEO died, but certainly not surprised. He was bound to meet a foul end at some point, and I’m more surprised he made it as long as he did.
At least now the people who were suggesting a female EEO be freed in Central Park for him to breed with and literally create an invasive species can stfu. Sadly, too many people didn’t seem to consider the negatives of the situation and were just like “Oooh cool owl”. Disappointing to see so many people blindly rooting for his freedom despite the fact that his kind is NOT native to here, and the native raptors already living in NYC face enough dangers; an apex predator bird that is quite known to kill/prey on other raptors (including owls) was certainly not needed.
Not to mention that poor Flaco was straight up harassed by groups of people on numerous occasions, and there’s a certain NYC-based birding account on Twitter I won’t name who fueled this by constantly revealing his location, and I can only imagine how that hindered his recapture. And for those who kept saying “He lived in a zoo he’s used to people” … he was free in an environment he wasn’t familiar with, and there’s no way hoards of onlookers gathering around every roost he chose he wasn’t stressed to a degree. You’re supposed to keep your distance from owls; not sure why Flaco was exempt from that code, but the public should not have interfered and invaded his space as much as they did.
RIP Flaco, you deserved better and I can’t help but feel like the anthropomorphization of you led to your tragic end. 
Flaco, New York City’s beloved owl, dies after striking building
This outcome lies, in the first instance, at the feet of the vandal(s) who released the bird from his cage and the ignoramuses who prevented his recapture. But, the WCS and zoos as institutions are not exempt from blame. Creatures such as Flaco should be returned to their proper ecosystems (Flaco was a rescue, but should have been rehabilitated and returned to his environment). Ditto every other animal "attraction" held in a zoo. The argument that such creatures represent insurance against extinction is self-justifying and FALSE. The total zoo population of these animals is a BOTTLENECKED population, an inviable population prone to inbreeding. Worse, this becomes a sop and a funding black-hole as far as actually protecting biodiversity goes, such as initiatives to both restore and conserve habitats, and promote sustainable stewardship of natural resources and land (while respecting indigenous people, who have been the historic and effective stewards of biodiversity). The same is true of arguments that zoos "educate" the public about responsible stewardship and biodiversity conservation. No, they educate the public to normalize caged biodiversity. All of these arguments evade and put a veneer on the fact that zoos, no matter their "non-profit" and "philanthropic" status, are money-making institutions. And living creatures are "attractions."
It's late here in the US Eastern time zone and I can't sleep for thinking about the death of Flaco in a building strike. He was a brave adaptable owl. He did magnificently for months. Flaco, Im sorry our species did this to you. #Flaco #owl #birds https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/nyregion/flaco-owl-central-park-zoo-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.X00.x84p.8Zl2X_Qk3fK_&smid=url-share
Fuuuuuuuuck. I can’t stop crying. #Flaco the world was a more bearable place with you free out there. I hate everything.
Honestly devastated to hear the news about #Flaco, who apparently met misadventure in my neighborhood. I am glad he was with us as a free bird and a true New Yorker for a whole year. I will never forget his spirit. #NYC https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/nyregion/flaco-owl-central-park-zoo-dead.html#commentsContainer
#Flaco has died. I am devastated. This bird brought so much joy and awe over the last year.
Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Has Died > Newsroom https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22056/Flaco-the-Eurasian-Eagle-Owl-Has-Died.aspx
My painting of Flaco the Eurasian eagle owl is finished. Watercolor with a little colored pencil, 16x12. Thanks to @jacquelineUWS on twitter, for permission to use her photo as reference.
#Flaco is the amazing owl of NYC. He escaped the Central Park Zoo one year ago. Here is a story about him. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/03/1228843197/flaco-owl-central-park-zoo-escape-mystery?utm_medium=JSONFeed&utm_campaign=news&utm_source=press.coop
RT @michikokakutani :
For the continuing adventures of Flaco the Owl - including a look at how graffiti artists are turning him into an outlaw folk hero - follow @flaco_the_owl on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/3D%3D&utm_source=qr #Flaco #birdcpp #FlacoTheOwl #owl #owls
