Eliminating Thousands of Barred Owls to Protect Another Owl Species

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than 400k birds to be destroyed

A Barred OwlPhoto bySteve Tabone

Owls are some of the coolest birds there are. They are nocturnal, have binocular vision like humans, can turn their heads almost 360 degrees in either direction and do not make a sound when they fly.

Ergo, if you are an animal lover hearing that thousands of beautiful birds are about to be killed, it can take your breath away for a moment or two.

I was taken aback when I first read an article about killing Barred Owls to end their spread from northern Eastern America to the West Coast.

Unfortunately, these owls are migrating across the country due to habitat destruction and climate change, which is forcing other animal species, primarily the Spotted Owl, to suffer.

A Spotted OwlPhoto byAP Photo/Don Ryan, File

Therefore, the US Fish & Wildlife Services has announced a comprehensive strategy to manage invasive Barred Owls to protect the endangered northern and California spotted owls in Washington, Oregon, and California.

However, there are people in the department who feel that the birds should not be killed and let nature take its course. Others argue that the reason the owls are migrating is man-caused and if we can we should try to fix it.

Understanding both points of view, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's goal is one of removal. Within the next 30 years, they will have professional marksmen hunt in designated areas and kill up to 452,000 Barred Owls and hopefully, stop their invasive destruction.

The Spotted Owls are already in a delicate situation as an endangered species and adding a predator such as the Barred Owl does not make things any easier for their survival.

Authorities say that they are not trying to choose one species over another and wipe out the Barred Owl, Instead, they want to prevent one incredible owl species from going extinct. This way in the future, generations can enjoy seeing both of these incredible birds in the wild.

References:

Fox 13 Seattle - Plan to kill barred owls in WA, OR, CA finalized | FOX 13 Seattle

Fox 13 Seattle - Protect the imperiled northern and California spotted owls

Jefferson Public Radio - Plan finalized to kill thousands of barred owls around Northwest | Jefferson Public Radio (ijpr.org)

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I'm Done!Photo byH. Mikel Feilen