Fish and Wildlife proposes killing over 400,000 barred owls in the Pacific Northwest

PORTLAND, OR. – (KGMI.com) A new proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is raising some eyebrows.

Oregon Public Radio reports the service has proposed shooting over 400,000 barred owls over the next 30 years to help protect the endangered spotted owl.

Oregon Wildlife supervisor Kessina Lee says the agency has a legal responsibility to protect the spotted owl, and rather than choosing one species over the other, the proposal would help conserve both species.

Barred owls migrated to the Pacific Northwest from the eastern U.S. and were first spotted in the area back in the 1970s.

They are larger than the spotted owl and hunt everything from salamanders to small mammals and other birds.

Lee says spotted owls are still fighting for their existence and that 400,000 barred owls represent just one percent of their global population.

The agency has considered other methods to control the barred owl population, including sterilization and non-lethal removal, but those methods are considered impractical.