Wildlife Officials Release Controversial Plan to Kill Half a Million Owls

The U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife has proposed a controversial plan to kill nearly half a million barred owls over the next 30 years, aiming to reduce habitat competition for endangered spotted owl subspecies in the Pacific Northwest.

This drastic measure intends to protect the northern spotted owl and California spotted owl by removing the invasive barred owls, which are encroaching on the native species’ habitats in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Under the plan, an estimated 470,900 barred owls would be culled primarily using shotguns, with the goal of lessening the pressure on the endangered owls’ populations. The barred owl, originally native to eastern North America, began expanding westward around the turn of the 20th century, arriving in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1970s. Since their arrival, the slightly larger and more aggressive barred owls have been displacing the native spotted owls.

The proposal details phased removals, targeting an average of 13,397 barred owls each year in the first decade, 16,303 in the second decade, and 17,390 in the final decade. According to the agency, this would account for less than 1% of the global barred owl population, which they believe is necessary to support the survival of the northern spotted owl—listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1990—and to prevent significant impacts to the California spotted owl, added to the endangered list last year.

The plan has met with significant opposition from the animal rights community. A group of 75 organizations, including several from California, sent a joint letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland urging the rejection of the proposal, which they describe as “unworkable.” Organized by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, the letter argues that the culling strategy would cause “severe disruptions to wildlife from the forest floor to its canopies,” potentially leading to mistaken kills of other native owl species, including the very spotted owls it aims to protect.

Do you think killing one species to save another is a smart plan?