Plans to cull half a million owls in three states have sparked significant backlash from officials, who claim such drastic measures are both unnecessary and ineffective in addressing the underlying issue.
The plan, initiated under former President Joe Biden’s administration, involves deploying trained hunters across California, Oregon, and Washington to eradicate barred owls. These owls, native to the eastern U.S., have started to invade the territory of the native spotted owl. Being more proficient hunters, barred owls are outcompeting spotted owls for food, leading to the latter’s decline.
Hunters plan to use territorial calls to draw the owls into the open for shooting. If shooting is not feasible, the owls will be captured and euthanized humanely.
Republican Senator John Kennedy condemned the proposal, calling it the “dumbest thing possible.” He promised to oppose it in Congress.
“The Department of Interior says it wants to kill over 10 percent of the barred owl population because the barred owl is a better hunter than the spotted owl and they want to tip the scales of nature in favor of the spotted owl,” said Kennedy.
In the Senate, Kennedy delivered an impassioned speech, using images of both owl species and a cartoon of Looney Tunes’ Elmer Fudd to support his argument.
“Both of them are God’s creatures,” he stated. “Unless Congress stops them, they’re going to hire hunters right here to kill 453,000 barred owls. There are only four million in the United States, but the Department of Interior wants to kill 453,000 mama barred owls, daddy barred owls, and baby barred owls.”
Continuing his fervent address, Kennedy accused the department of “playing God,” questioning the authority of bureaucrats to make such decisions.
“Barred owls are expanding their habitat because the forests in the east have been cut down. That’s called adaptive range expansion,” he explained. “Whether you believe in God or nature or whatever, that happens every single day in our ecosystem. It’s a naturally occurring ecological phenomenon. It’s a core behavioral characteristic of mammals. The barred owls are not hurting anybody. They’re just doing what nature teaches them to do. We’re going to change nature? We’re going to control our environment to this extent? We’re going to pass DEI for owls? We’re going to pass quotas for owls?”
Senator Kennedy is not alone in his opposition. At least 75 groups have voiced concern over the proposal, with wildlife advocates arguing it could be detrimental.
Critics worry about potential “mistaken identity” killings and the impact on local wildlife, especially since the two owl species look very similar. They both have rounded heads, brown and white bodies, and black eyes, with only minor differences in beak color and size.
Barred owls, originally from the northeastern U.S., began migrating west in the early 1900s due to deforestation and industrialization. As a result, the smaller spotted owl faced increased competition for limited resources, leading to its decline and its inclusion in the Endangered Species Act in 1990.
Environmentalists hope to prevent the cull, as it could disrupt the timber industry if left unchecked, slowing the harvesting of 2.6 million acres of western Oregon forest.
Timber industry representatives argue that saving the spotted owl harms their business, and they see the barred owl cull as a potential solution. They warn that hundreds of jobs are at risk, a concern echoed by the American Forest Resource Council.
“It’s strange that a Republican in the south is taking on the owl issue, specifically, when its consequences will impact western Oregon BLM timber sales,” said Chief Executive Travis Joseph. “It will lead to lower revenues for counties, it will impact jobs and it will put them on a trajectory towards extinction.”