Wash. — The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution that would have stopped a controversial wildlife management plan: killing barred owls to protect the endangered northern spotted owl.
The Barred Owl Management Strategy, developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, proposes the removal of 450,000 barred owls over 30 years to prevent the extinction of the northern spotted owl.
“Basically, they pushed spotted owls out of their territories into marginal habitats where they generally die pretty quickly,” said Robin Bown of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wayne Pacelle of Animal Wellness Action criticized the plan, stating, “Not only is it unprecedented to kill a native North American owl, protected for 100 years under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but it’s not going to work and it’s going to be expensive.”
The plan covers 24 million acres, including 14 national parks such as Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades.
Critics argue that the strategy is inhumane, as it involves trained shooters killing the owls.
The estimated cost of the plan is $1.35 billion.
Pilot projects have already resulted in the killing of 5,000 barred owls.
Wayne Pacelle also expressed concerns that the plan could lead to the killing of both barred and spotted owls and threaten old-growth forests.
Lawsuits have been filed by Pacelle’s organizations in Washington and Oregon to block the federal plan.
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