The lives of half a million invasive barred owls are at stake as they invade the territory of the endangered California spotted owl.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to release “hunters” in California, Oregon and Washington to kill nocturnal birds native to the eastern United States.
Under the proposal, hunters would broadcast territorial calls from banned owls to attract them and shoot on sight, but in areas where the use of firearms is not advisable, the protocol would be to capture and euthanize the creature.
However, the strategy to save a species has caused outrage among 75 groups who claim their actions could disrupt wildlife and cause “mistaken identity deaths.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed culling 500,000 barred owls that are encroaching on spotted owl territory.
Spotted owls were added to the endangered species list in 1990 due to deforestation.
Historically, owls have been protected from hunters, but the FWS stated that the barred owl has become an emerging threat to the spotted owl because it has a larger appetite, causing them to compete for the same prey.
The barred owl has also been known to kill the spotted owl, according to the FWS.
The two owls look very similar, both having rounded heads, brown and white bodies and black eyes and are only distinguished by their slight difference in size and the colors of their beaks.
Spotted owls are about 1.5 feet long and have a wingspan of up to four feet, while barred owls are larger, measuring about two feet tall with a wingspan of up to four feet.
Barred owls began migrating to the forests of Washington, Oregon, and northern California from their native region in the northeastern United States in the early 20th century due to climate change and deforestation.
In 1990, the spotted owl was added to the Endangered Species Act due to habitat loss, but now the migration of the barred owl over the past century has reportedly made the situation worse.
Organizations led by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy wrote a letter at Interior Secretary Deborah Haaland on Monday, accusing her of a “reckless” plan to take down 500,000 barred owls over the next 30 years.
The spotted owl is even more threatened because the barred owl eats much of its food source.
The FWS previously euthanized more than 2,000 barred owls, but studies showed it didn’t make much of a difference to the spotted owl population.
Climate change has contributed to the animal’s adoptive behavior and migration pattern, the letter said, adding: “We cannot victimize animals for adapting to human disturbances of the environment.”
Problems first arose in the late 1980s and 1990s, when environmentalists fought loggers trying to harvest timber in northwest forests; the conflict became known as the Timber Wars.
During this time, the spotted owl living in the old trees began to decline, leading to protections for the bird and its habitat.
Despite this, the FWS released its 264-page proposal in November, saying that culling barred owls was essential to protect the endangered spotted owl.
However, when asked why it is necessary to cull so many barred owls and how many spotted owls have been killed, an FWS spokesperson directed Dailymail.com to a Press release That said, “barred owls have not had a substantial impact on California spotted owl populations to date.”
Instead, the statement said the purpose of culling so many owls is to eliminate their future expansion and distribution and reduce any population that may establish itself in the coming years.
“Competition from the invasive barred owl is the primary cause of the rapid and continued decline of northern spotted owl populations,” the statement said.
“Due to the rapidity of the decline, it is critical that we manage invasive barred owl populations to reduce their negative impact before the northern spotted owl is extirpated from large portions of its native range,” he added.
The FWS is currently reviewing public input and is expected to make a final decision in late spring or early summer.
If approved, the FWS will be granted a Migratory Bird Treaty Act permit that will allow it to hunt and kill barred owls.
The FWS began a five-year experiment to cull 2,485 barred owls in spotted owl territories in the Pacific Northwest when the invasive birds began to appear.
The experiment was not entirely successful, according to the letter to Haaland, which said that results it only showed a short-term reduction in owls and “modest numerical gains for spotted owls.”
“The disruption created by the shooting alone would have adverse effects on a wide range of species, along with the direct and incidental death that would inevitably result,” the letter said, adding: “Night hunting of these animals is unimaginable and still more impractical.” .’
“This is a case of the federal wildlife agency not seeing the forest for the trees.”