Posted on 05/22/2014 9:53:27 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Killing one species to save another sounds like a drastic solution, but thats exactly what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing in California to protect the Spotted Owl from a predator that happens to be its distant cousin, the Barred Owl. On the Hoopa Indian Reservation near the Oregon border, its owl country, but not the kind Mark Higley wants to see.
The tribes resident biologist is tracking an invasive species from the east called the barred owl. Up to the ridge line we have been getting barred owl responses, he said.
At first the birds were a novelty, but now theyre a huge problem because they are taking over the nesting territory of the native spotted owl, a threatened species. Spotted owl numbers have dropped as much as 80-percent in just the last 20 years. So Mark and his research team are taking drastic action, by using recorded calls to lure the barred owls in, and shoot them. You want to make sure that you take a clean shot where you know you are going to have a clean kill and not wound birds and have them suffer, he said.
Its mating season now so the shooting is on hold. The permit that we have states that we wont orphan any young, said Higley. But this past winter Marks team gunned down 71 barred owls.
Its all part of an experiment recently approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The plan is to kill 3,600 barred owls over the next four years in California, Oregon and Washington.
I thought it was ridiculous, said Jennifer Barnes. Shes an attorney with the animal rights group Friends of Animals. As soon as they stop the shooting more of the owls will come in, she said.
Her group has filed a lawsuit to stop the killings, claiming barred owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
But once you meet a spotted owl face to face its easy to understand the urge to protect them. KPIX 5 followed Mark on a hike, along with Fish and Wildlife biologist Robin Bown, to one of the last two spotted owl nests on the reservation. All it took was a mouse to lure one of the creatures out.
She says to save them, lethal removal of their aggressive cousins is the only option. We asked the states back east if they would like some of them back, but they really dont have any place to put them, she said.
Mark admits its not easy. Oh its awful, I mean I am a biologist, the barred owl is a wonderful species, its a spectacular bird. The only reason I am doing this is that I feel its an invasive species, he said.
So this fall he plans to be on the front lines again, killing one bird to save another.
Is the spotted owl gay, transgender, lesbian, questioning...and the Barred Owl straight, Christian owl...
Some animals are more equal than others.
Actually this is classified under -— the dark side of the forest, and the light side of the forest, akin to Star Wars - but since owls are nocturnal, Obama has to set up a committee to study the two owl species for the next two years...
Killing the logging industry in the area wasn’t enough. Now they have to kill other owls. These people are freaking insane.
Death Panels for owls?.....................
The Koch Owl was found to make some spurious donations to Ted Cruz.
WWAD - What Would Athena Do?
Liberals always have to be killing something, whether it's forests or ghettos. They can't help themselves, they are who they are.
“The only reason I am doing this is that I feel its an invasive species, he said. “
A natural migration is not an invasive species.
To change the song a bit, “He was foully murdered by those counter-evolutionary cads.”
“We had to kill the owls to save them”
Obama’s war on hooters
Now we kill animals trying to migrate to other areas. An invasive species would be one from another country or non-native to this country.
What happened to Natural Selection?
Mockingbirds used to be uncommon here in the Raleigh area. Now they’re everywhere. Cardinals have expanded their range North.
Should we plan on exterminating them in their ‘new’ range ?
Oh that’s right. The gov. can do this as they wish. Remember they approved Golden Eagles being killed in order to stop the wind power controversy.
In an administration that gives permits to kill eagles to save the endangered wind turbine, this makes perfect sense. Kind of like killing veterans to save budget money for bonuses.
First they displace all the people so they can have “migration corridors” and then snivel when the animals migrate.
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