The United States Senate has voted to let a controversial plan go ahead that will kill up to 450,000 barred owls in the Pacific Northwest.
The goal is to help protect the endangered northern spotted owl, which is losing its home and territory.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) says barred owls are a big threat to the survival of the northern spotted owl. Barred owls are bigger, more aggressive, and better at living in new places. They come from eastern North America and have moved into the habitat of the spotted owl in the west.
The northern spotted owl is already in danger because humans have destroyed its forest home. Over the years, many trees have been cut down for logging and development. This deforestation has taken away the old forests that spotted owls need to survive.
Experts say the spread of barred owls makes the situation worse. Barred owls take over nesting areas and food sources. As a result, the spotted owl is being pushed out.
The USFWS believes killing barred owls is necessary to give the spotted owl a chance to recover.
But not everyone agrees with this plan. Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana tried to stop it with a vote in the Senate. He said, “The barred owls are not hurting anybody. They’re just doing what nature teaches them to do.” He also criticized the idea of humans controlling nature so strongly.
His effort to stop the plan failed. Only 25 senators voted in support, while 72 voted against it. Over 80 animal welfare groups also criticized the plan, calling it “reckless” and “costly.” They say killing one species to save another is not the answer.
Under the plan, trained teams will identify barred owls and then shoot them in selected forest areas. Animal rights groups say this raises serious ethical problems.
The plan has also received support from the logging industry, which has an interest in forest management in the region.
Barred owls are not just pushing spotted owls out. Their expansion is made easier because humans are cutting down trees and changing the natural forest. As forests disappear, both owl species suffer, but the smaller, more sensitive spotted owl suffers more.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theanimalreader.com
