The federal government plans to kill hundreds of thousands of one species of owl to help preserve another.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed enlisting shooters to eliminate 500,000 barred owls over the next 30 years to ensure that northern spotted owls keep their habitats, according to The Seattle Times.
“Everywhere the spotted owl can live and thrive, barred owls can thrive and do even better,” said Katherine Fitzgerald, northern spotted owl recovery lead for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Portland. “They are still invading, and they are not done.”
The weapon of choice would be a large-bore shotgun and night scopeshttps://t.co/JhcRXQaYk0
— Robert Paulsen (@Bob_Paulsen60) December 7, 2023
Barred owls have expanded beyond the East Coast, where they have traditionally resided since the 1950s, toward the Northwest, where the less aggressive northern spotted owls live, the outlet explained. Barred owls are bigger and more territorial, posing a threat to northern spotted owls, according to the Endangered Species Act.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s barred owl reduction program will target invasive populations in Wisconsin and Oregon, according to The Seattle Times. The agency hopes to cull 20,000 barred owls in the first year of implementation, per the outlet. (RELATED: Blind Mole Believed Extinct, Not Seen Since 1936, Turns Up On Beach)
Large-bore shotguns and night scopes would be the preferred method of killing the owls, though capture and euthanasia can be employed if gunfire would put humans at risk, the outlet noted.
The northern spotted owl has been listed as an endangered species since 1990, according to the outlet.