At least 500,0000 invasive barred owls’ lives are at stake for encroaching on the endangered California spotted owl’s territory.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to unleash ‘hunters’ in California, Oregon and Washington to kill about half a million nocturnal birds that are native to the eastern US.
Under the proposal, hunters would broadcast barred owl territorial calls to attract owls and shoot on sight, but in areas where firearm use is inadvisable, the protocol would be to capture and euthanize the creature.
However, the strategy to save one species has caused outrage among 75 groups that claim its actions could disrupt the wildlife and cause ‘mistaken-identity kills.’
wls have historically been protected from hunters, but the FWS claimed the barred owl has become an emerging threat to the spotted owl because they have 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, with both having rounded heads, brown and white-colored bodies, and black eyes and are only distinguished by their slight size difference and the colors of their beaks.
Read the whole story at the Daily Mail.
