Eurasian eagle-owl escapes handler at Minnesota Zoo, killed by tiger

A tragic fate befell a Eurasian eagle-owl earlier this year when it flew away from its handler during a demonstration at the Minnesota Zoo.
The incident, which occurred in April, was outlined in an inspection report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture dated in July. A zoo spokesman confirmed the death to multiple media outlets.
After its escape, the owl landed in a tiger enclosure, where it was killed and eaten, according to the USDA report obtained by USA TODAY. The handler was reportedly training the owl during a bird show at the zoo, located in the Apple Valley suburb of the Twin Cities.
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Eurasian-eagle owls, one of the largest species of owl, do not reportedly reside year-round at the Minnesota Zoo, but are part of a seasonal group of birds who are brought in for the summer, Zoo spokesperson Zach Nugent told the Star Tribune.
While at the zoo, the owls and other birds participate in outdoor bird shows. The owl that was fatally attacked after flying off in April was in the early stages of training, Nugent told the outlet.
“The bird flew into the Zoo’s Tiger Lair habitat. Before staff could intervene, the tiger within that habitat preyed upon the owl,” Nugent told NBC News.
The incident was summarized in a USDA report released July 1 based on a routine inspection that ordered the zoo to “develop and maintain” a program for “free flight training” that ensures animals remain safe.
The zoo had until July 5 to make the recommended changes and did so, Nugent told multiple outlets.
This is the second death of a Eurasian eagle owl at the zoo in less than three years, according to the Star Tribune.
In October 2021, a bird named Gladys went missing after flying into a tree during a training session at the zoo’s amphitheater. Weeks later, a concerned neighbor found her after she was hit by a car, but the bird died by the time the zoo’s medical team arrived, the outlet has reported.
USA TODAY could not immediately reach Nugent for comment Thursday morning.
It’s not the first time a Eurasian eagle-owl was killed so unexpectedly this year after making a zoo escape.
In February, another owl named Flaco died in New York City about a year after he escaped from the Central Park Zoo when someone cut the stainless-steel mesh of his exhibit. Flaco became something of a celebrity in the Big Apple amid repeated sightings and evasions of attempts to recapture him.
But the beloved owl was killed Feb. 23 after he crashed into a building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
A necropsy conducted afterwards found the bird to have had severe pigeon herpesvirus due to the consumption of feral pigeons. Flaco was also found to have four different anticoagulant rodenticides, or rat poison, within his system due to exposure to chemicals used to kill rodents within New York City.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]