time. There were no reports of him eating in his first several days after escape but on February 10 he produced a mass of undigested animal parts called a pellet, which owls regurgitate some time after eating. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the organization which runs the Central Park Zoo and other zoos in the area, released a statement on February 12 saying that its staff had observed improved flight skills and had seen Flaco successfully hunting and eating. With recapture less urgent to his survival, and concerned that aggressive methods might scare him to an area where he is either less able to take care of himself or less visible, WCS said zoo staff would scale back and redesign their efforts. Later the same week, the WCS said another attempt to use bait and eagle-owl calls failed, and would stop trying to capture him, but would continue to monitor his well-being and be prepared to try to intervene if necessary. With the news that he had hunted successfully, a petition began to allow Flaco to remain free. Although Flaco has successfully hunted, living in Central Park has other risks like vehicle traffic and rodenticide. Rats are plentiful prey, and the prevalent use of rat poison in the city has made poisoning a common cause of death for raptors. Another owl, a barred owl known as Barry, was killed in the park in 2021 when she collided with a maintenance vehicle, perhaps affected by the quantity of rat poison inside her. Although the Central Park Conservancy, the organization which runs the park, has said it is not currently using rat poison, rodenticide is still in use in the surrounding area. See also Birding in New York City List of individual birds References 2023 in New York City Birds in popular culture Central Park Individual animals in the United States Individual birds of prey Missing or escaped animals