Central Park owl that died inspires 'Flaco's Law' bills aimed at preventing bird deaths
Flaco was an owl who captured the city’s hearts when he escaped from Central Park Zoo and flew free for a year in New York City before dying this past February.
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There was nothing but love for Flaco at City Hall on Thursday.
Flaco was an owl who captured the city’s hearts when he escaped from Central Park Zoo. He flew free for a year in New York City before dying this past February.
Now, he’s inspired new legislation. They’re calling them Flaco’s Laws. It’s a package of three City Council bills aimed at preventing bird deaths.
According to the Central Park Zoo, Flaco died of a traumatic injury. Advocates believe he hit a building after his body was weakened by rat poison.
Two of the bills would address bird collisions caused by building lights and collisions with reflective and transparent surfaces.
Another bill introduced by Council member Shaun Abreu would require the New York City Department of Health to distribute pellets that sterilize rats in two neighborhoods as part of a pilot program.
“It would come in a solid pellet form, it’s salty, it’s sweet and it has fatty materials within it that attracts rats...why we’re resorting to solid pellets is because they’ll bring that back to their boroughs for other rats to eat,” Abreu told a crowd at a recent press conference.
Organizers tell News 12 New York that the rat contraception bill was introduced on Thursday. They say the others will be introduced in the near future.
