Lawmakers Reject Halt to Killing of Invasive Barred Owls

In a controversial move, the U.S. Senate has rejected a proposal to halt the planned killing of hundreds of thousands of barred owls, a measure intended to protect the threatened spotted owl. The decision, made last month, has drawn strong criticism from advocacy groups who argue that the plan is both shortsighted and cruel.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) says the spotted owl, native to western North America, is under threat from the larger and more aggressive barred owl, which began expanding westward around 1900 as human activity altered forests and the Great Plains. The agency believes that actions to address the barred owl threat are necessary to support the survival of the northern spotted owl and avoid substantial impacts to the California spotted owl populations.

The plan, finalized during the Biden administration, would involve trained shooters targeting the invasive barred owl species over a 30-year period across California, Oregon, and Washington. Despite the opposition from advocacy groups, the Senate voted 72-25 to reject a move to halt the scheme.

"This is both shortsighted and cruel," Jennifer Best, the director of Friends of Animals' Wildlife Law Program, told Newsweek. "The government continues to fall short when it comes to ethical and meaningful protection for northern spotted owls, such as listing the species as endangered and protecting sufficient habitat."