A new documentary, Wild Inside, recounts the remarkable story of Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped New York’s Central Park Zoo in 2023 and became a beloved symbol of resilience. The film explores how his unexpected survival in Manhattan captivated birdwatchers and residents, while raising wider questions about captivity, instinct and what it means to be wild.

Flaco had spent 13 years in an enclosure when someone cut its mesh in February 2023, leaving zoo staff concerned that he could neither hunt nor fly effectively. He nevertheless learned to catch the city’s rats, prompting officials to end recapture efforts after two weeks; he survived freely for just over a year before crashing into a building on West 89th Street.