To save spotted owls, US officials will kill hundreds of thousands of other owls
US wildlife officials plan to cull barred owls to protect the endangered spotted owl population in Oregon, Washington, and California. The strategy involves shooting encroaching barred owls to prevent spotted owl extinction. Wildlife advocates are divided over the controversial plan.
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US wildlife officials are planning to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls to save the imperiled spotted owl population in Oregon, Washington, and California. The strategy involves shooting barred owls that have encroached on the territory of the smaller spotted owls. The plan aims to prevent the potential extinction of the spotted owl species, which has been struggling to compete with the larger barred owls. Past conservation efforts focused on protecting spotted owl habitats, but the increasing presence of barred owls has undermined these efforts. The controversial strategy has divided wildlife advocates, with some supporting the removal of barred owls while others criticize it as a reckless diversion from forest preservation. The killings would be carried out by trained shooters using recorded owl calls to lure the birds. Supporters believe reducing barred owl numbers could allow for coexistence with spotted owls in the long term and benefit other species preyed upon by barred owls. The final decision on the plan will follow a 30-day comment period after the release of an environmental study.
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8 commentsThis seems pork-barrel-y. It's reminiscent of the recent Canadian government plan to spend 12 million dollars to kill 900 non-native deer in BC, ignoring that locals would do it for free.
15k animals per year doesn't sound like all that much.
I doubt it'll help. The spotted owls live in old growth forest, 90% of which has been torn down for farmland, lumber, and suburban sprawl. What's left is disconnected and vulnerable. Killing off some other owls won't change that.
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