Additional Coverage:
- To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species (newsbreak.com)
In an effort to prevent the extinction of the endangered spotted owl, U.S. wildlife officials have launched a divisive strategy involving the elimination of nearly half a million barred owls. These barred owls, which originated from the eastern U.S., have been overrunning habitats in Oregon, Washington state, and California, competing fiercely with the native northern and California spotted owls.
The plan, detailed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and released on Wednesday, involves trained personnel shooting the barred owls over a span of three decades to halt their encroachment. This approach is aimed at bolstering the dwindling populations of the smaller native owls, which struggle against the barred owls due to their larger broods and lesser space needs.
Historically, conservation efforts for the spotted owl have concentrated on safeguarding their forest environments, leading to heated debates over logging while marginally slowing their population decline. However, the surge in barred owl populations has jeopardized these efforts, with Fish and Wildlife Service officials indicating that without intervention, the northern spotted owl is likely to face extinction in much or all of its range.
The concept of culling one bird species to save another has stirred controversy among conservationists and animal rights advocates. Some reluctantly accept the necessity of the removal strategy, while others like Wayne Pacelle, founder of Animal Wellness Action, criticize it as a misguided focus diverting attention from essential forest conservation.
The execution of the plan is set to begin next spring, with the barred owls being lured by recordings of their calls and then shot using shotguns. Approximately 4,500 barred owls have already been removed by researchers since 2009 in certain areas, including California’s Sierra Nevada, where new populations are being targeted for prevention.
While the removal is unlikely to eradicate the barred owl entirely in more established regions, conservation groups such as the American Bird Conservancy support the strategy as a means to eventually enable coexistence between the two owl species, contingent on the regrowth of ancient forests.
This plan, while aiming to impact less than 1% of the national barred owl population, seeks to avert the complete extinction of the spotted owls. Public hunting of barred owls will not be allowed; instead, specific agencies, landowners, tribes, or companies will be designated by the wildlife service to carry out the shootings, requiring proof of appropriate training and skills.
Following the pending publication of a final environmental study, there will be a 30-day comment period before a final decision is issued on the proposal, which has evolved from decades of conflict over forest management and species conservation.