Federal plan to protect California native owl species would kill another
SACRAMENTO — The federal government has proposed a plan to protect a California native owl species from becoming extinct.
The problem? The plan calls for the killing of another species of owl. Some animal advocates are pushing back and calling for a new strategy.
Danielle Hanosh is the executive director for LEAP, or Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet. It's a nonprofit organization with more than 20 animal sanctuaries across the country.
A part of the LEAP program is educating youth about animal welfare and human rights.
So when Hanosh heard about this new federal proposal to allow hunters to kill thousands of invasive owls to save the species of another kind of owl, it didn't sit well.
"It is very important to save endangered species, but as humans with our level of intelligence and technology, we have other ways to solve the problem," she said.
The proposal aims to address the decline of the native spotted owl, which is listed as an endangered species.
The non-native barred owl, which migrated from the East Coast, is similar to the spotted owl – only it's much bigger and more aggressive, taking over habitat and increasing competition for food.
The spotted owl is having a hard time keeping up, and experts say they aren't cohabitating well.
One of the solutions is to kill off a portion of the barred owl population to give the spotted owl a fighting chance to bounce back.
Michele Dodge, a wildlife rescue volunteer and photographer, noted that this kind of strategy has shown to be successful on a smaller scale, but she's still conflicted.
"I'm not going to say yes or no to this program," she said. "I'm going to say it sickens me to think of killing owls."
The 260-plus page proposal drawn up by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife does mention the possibility of no action being taken.
Still, the possibility has several animal rights groups pushing back, calling the plan reckless and impractical. It's a sentiment shared by Hanosh.
"Personally, I don't think that killing them is the answer," she said.
If a strategy is finalized, barred owl hunting will only be conducted by trained professionals. The strategy does not call for a public hunting season and does not include hunting permits.
