An owl escaped from a New York zoo. But unlike other animal fugitives, he’ll be allowed to stay free.

It almost sounds like the makings of a children’s book. Flaco the owl escapes from the zoo and does so well outside captivity, he’s allowed to stay. Truly a hoot. But there’s more to the story.

When Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl with brown feathers, big ears, and fiery orange eyes, escaped from his Central Park Zoo enclosure earlier this month, it marked the fourth major zoo break-in of the year. As in others across the country, the owl’s enclosure was cut and vandalized, allowing him to wander off.

Throughout February, Flaco sightings took off around Manhattan. Locals called in sightings to the police, the police attempted — and failed — to catch Flaco, birders traced his steps, and zoo personnel tried to lure him with recorded eagle-owl calls and food. Flaco avoided all of it, settling into Central Park. He nestled into trees and feasted on the park’s seemingly endless buffet of rats.

About two weeks after Flaco’s escape, the Central Park Zoo announced an unexpected decision: Flaco could stay in the wild — at least for now.

Central Park Zoo staff — and a heap of new fans — have kept a close watch on Flaco. Zoo personnel said the bird, who had only lived in captivity, has displayed skills that prompted the decision.

“Efforts at recovering the bird have proven more difficult since he has been very successful at hunting and consuming the abundant prey in the park,” the zoo’s statement said. “We are going to continue monitoring Flaco and his activities and to be prepared to resume recovery efforts if he shows any sign of difficulty or distress.”

While zoos will rehabilitate animals and release them into the wild intentionally, leaving a zoo animal in the wild that has escaped captivity is unprecedented, field experts say. That’s because longtime captive animals are rarely able to survive on their own.

Flaco is positioned for success outside because — as noted by National Geographic — he’s not a risk to public safety, he’s proven he can hunt on his own, and he’s not an endangered species.

Other birds have made escapes from zoos before, including locally.

Five years ago, four peacocks made their way from the Philadelphia Zoo down a nearby highway.

Three were recovered. One was found dead — most likely hit by a vehicle.

The news of Flaco remaining at the park came to the delight of many local birders as well as nature photographers and casual fans who were pulled in by the owl’s story on social media.

David Barrett, a former competitive birder who runs the popular bird and nature Twitter account Manhattan Bird Alert said Flaco’s storyline keeps people coming back.

“Initially Flaco’s survival was in peril and the world was concerned about this beautiful owl, let loose in the center of Manhattan by a still-unsolved crime,” Barrett said. “But Flaco overcame tremendous odds and did just that, learning to successfully hunt in the park and feed himself in roughly a week.”

Barrett said the Twitter account has seen “tremendous growth” in the last three weeks from Flaco devotees, including people who want to know where to see the owl for themselves.

Still, birders have voiced concern that Flaco’s newfound fame could be harmful to his health and, potentially, the greater bird ecosystem.

“I’d hate to have a large, non-native owl occupying space in Central Park where native owl species might conceivably, eventually be able to establish themselves,” Scott Weidensaul, an owl researcher, told NPR.

In New York, community members are urging eager visitors to “be respectful” and to not hoot or hiss at the bird. Owls are nocturnal and shouldn’t be disturbed during the daytime.

The details surrounding Flaco’s escape mirror a string of highly publicized zoo break-ins across the country.

The Dallas Zoo saw escapes by a clouded leopard and the theft of rare monkeys in January and February, along with a vulture dying from an “unusual” wound. One arrest was made.

In Houston, an arrest has yet to be made for vandalism to a brown pelican habitat at a children’s zoo earlier this month. In Louisana, 12 squirrel monkeys were taken from the zoo and have yet to be recovered. One arrest was made.

It’s unclear what’s behind the recent zoo crimes. Sometimes, animals taken from zoos are trafficked into the exotic pet trade or kept as pets, National Geographic reported. But their chances of survival are grim.

The recent break-ins have prompted zoos to review their security practices.

“The zoo has a security team that is on-site 24 hours a day, monitoring an extensive camera system as well as conducting regular campus-wide patrols,” a Philadelphia Zoo spokesperson said Friday. “We continually review and enhance our procedures to ensure the safety of our animals, staff, and guests.”