Almost half a million owls will be euthanized in the US to save another species from extinction

For save the endangered spotted owl of possible extinction, US authorities are preparing to kill nearly half a million barred owls who are displacing their cousins. The controversial plan provides for deployment of trained shooters in dense forests on the west coast of United States (USA).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s strategy, released Wednesday, aims to shore up spotted owl populations in Oregonhe washington state y California.

Documents released by the agency show that up to 450,000 barred owls would be killed over three decades after birds from the eastern US invaded the west coast territory of two owls: the northern spotted owlet and the California spotted owlet.

Los spotted owlsMore smalls, They have not been able to compete with the invaderswhich have large clutches and need less space to survive than spotted owls.

The authorities speak of “active management” to avoid the possibility of extinction

In the past, efforts to save spotted owls focused on protect the forests where they live, which caused bitter fights over logging, but also contributed to slowing the decline of these birds. The barred owl proliferation in recent years it is undermining that work above, authorities say.

“Without active management of the barred owlses probable that the spotted owls from North se extingan throughout all or most of its range, despite decades of collaborative conservation efforts,” says Kessina Lee, Oregon State Supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The idea of ​​killing one species of bird to save another has divided nature defenders and conservationists. It is reminiscent of the Government’s efforts to save West Coast salmon by killing sea lions and cormorants that eat the fish, and to preserve warblers by killing cowbirds that lay eggs in warbler nests.

Some defenders accepted reluctantly barred owl removal strategy, while others said it is a reckless departure from necessary forest preservation.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service is moving from protector of wildlife to wildlife tracker” says Wayne Pacelle, founder of the advocacy group Animal Wellness Action. Pacelle predicted the program would fail because the agency won’t be able to prevent more barred owls from migrating to areas where others have been killed.

How will owl populations be managed?

The shooting would probably begin next spring, according to authorities. Barred owls would be lured with megaphones that broadcast recorded owl calls and then they would be shot with shotguns. The bodies would be buried ‘in situ’.

Researchers are already killing these aves in some spotted owl habitats, of which about 4,500 have been removed since 2009, according to Robin Bown, chief of barred owl strategy for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Among the targets are the barred owls of the Californian region of Sierra Nevadawhere the animals have recently arrived and the authorities want to prevent populations from taking root.

In other areas where barred owls are more established, authorities aim to reduce their numbers, but acknowledge that shooting is unlikely to completely eliminate them. Among its supporters are the American Bird Conservancy and other groups. conservationists.

Barred owls don’t belong in the West, says American Bird Conservancy Vice President Steve Holmer. Killing them is regrettable, he adds, but reduce their number could allow them to coexist with spotted owls in the long term. “As they grow forests old, it is to be hoped that the coexistence is possible and maybe we won’t have to shoot as much“, said Holmer.

According to the authorities, culls would reduce numbers of North American barred owlsby less than 1% annually. That figure They compare it with possible extinction of spotted owls, if the problem is not addressed.

Since barred owls are aggressive hunters, their removal is also could help other West Coast species that they have been preying on, such as salamanders and crayfish, says Tom Wheeler, director of the Environmental Protection Information Center, a California-based conservation group.

Public hunting of barred owls would not be allowed. The Wildlife Service would designate governmental agencies, landowners, native tribes or companies to carry out the killings. The hunters would have to believe training or experience in owl identification and firearms management.

Is the spread of the barred owl a natural ecological phenomenon?

The publication in the coming days of a definitive environmental study on the proposal will open a 30 day comment period before a final decision is made.

The barred owl plan comes after decades of conflict between conservationists and logging companieswhich cut down vast areas of forests ancient places where spotted owls reside. The first efforts to save these birds culminated with the ban on logging in the 90swhich angered the timber industry and its political supporters in Congress.

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However, spotted owl populations continued to decline after eagle owls began appearing on the West Coast several decades ago. At least half of spotted owls have been lost across the regionwith declines of 75% or more in some study areas, says Katherine Fitzgerald, who directs the Wildlife Service’s northern spotted owl recovery program.

Los detractors they claim that the mass killing of barred owls would cause serious disruptions to forest ecosystems and could lead to mistakenly shoot other species, including spotted owls. They have also challenged the idea that barred owls do not belong on the West Coast, characterizing their range expansion as a natural ecological phenomenon.

Researchers say barred owls moved west along one of these two routes: across the Great Plains, where trees planted by settlers allowed them to gain a foothold in new areas; or through Canada’s boreal forests, which have become more hospitable as temperatures rise due to climate change.

The northern spotted owl is federally protected as Threatened species. In 2020, federal authorities determined that your continued decline deserved to move into the more critical “endangered” category. But the Fish and Wildlife Service refused to do so at the time, saying other species took priority. Last year it was proposed federal protection of California spotted owls. The decision is earring.

Under the mandate of the former president Donald Trumpgovernment officials removed habitat protections for spotted owls at the request of the wood industry. These were restored under the presidency of Joe Biden after the Interior Department said political appointees under Trump relied on wrong scientific data to justify weakening protections.

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