WILD INSIDE

SCREENING + SPECIAL PRESENTATION FROM TROPICAL AUDUBON SOCIETY, PELICAN HARBOR SEABIRD STATION + MOWGI THE OWL !!

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In February 2023, a Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco slipped out of a damaged enclosure at the Central Park Zoo and simply kept going. He'd never lived outside captivity, but within days he was hunting rats in Central Park, and within weeks he was a citywide phenomenon: bird-watchers tracking his every roost, strangers debating on the internet whether he should be recaptured or left alone.

Director Penny Lane (Hail Satan?) doesn't treat this as a straightforward nature story. Working from an enormous trove of footage shot by the birders, tourists, and everyday New Yorkers who followed Flaco block by block, she builds a portrait of a city almost accidentally falling for one owl, and uses that devotion to ask harder questions: what captivity does to an animal, what freedom actually costs, and why this particular bird meant so much to so many people who'd never given owls a second thought before.

The result is funny in places, quietly devastating in others, and never quite what you expect a documentary about a zoo escapee to be. WILD INSIDE is less about an owl finding the wild than about a city discovering, through him, how much it wanted to believe in it.

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PELICAN HARBOR PRESENTERS: 

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CHLOE CHELZ - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Chloe Chelz assumed the position of Executive Director at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in July 2024, following serving as Assistant Director for over two years, and after volunteering for approximately a year and a half. Her decision to dedicate time to the organization stemmed from an increasing interest and intention to refocus her energy on nature, and specifically, on wildlife and the environment, after a long career in the art and design world.

AMY LEONARD - WILDLIFE EDUCATOR

Amy Leonard is a lifelong South Floridian and seasoned science educator with more than 25 years of classroom experience. Passionate about connecting young people and the community to local ecosystems, Amy specializes in place-based science education, using Florida-native species and habitats to inspire real-world understanding and stewardship. She has designed hands-on curricula, led field experiences, and developed programming in collaboration with organizations like the Fairchild Challenge, Dream in Green, and BLUEMissions. Beyond the classroom, Amy has served over 15 years on the board of the Dade Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, where she led public outreach and educational events. As a committed advocate for environmental education and conservation, Amy is known for her leadership, creativity, and dedication to community engagement.

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MOWGLI THE OWL

Mowgli is an Eastern Screech Owl that came to our clinic after a good Samaritan found her on the ground, unable to fly due to a wing injury. She has several jobs here at PHSS including helping foster baby owls we receive and teaching them to hunt live mice as well as going to over a hundred schools annually to teach kids about her species!