Target: Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, United States
Goal: Halt the plan to shoot hundreds of thousands of barred owls to protect a competing owl species.
A proposal has been made to kill approximately 450,000 barred owls over the next three decades. This government-backed plan stems from concerns that the barred owls may be outcompeting a related species, which is experiencing decline. Critics warn this initiative would empower private landowners to lure and shoot large numbers of barred owls with shotguns, resulting in mass casualties.
Opponents of the plan point out that it may be nearly impossible to distinguish between the two different owl species in low-visibility conditions, further endangering the very creatures it purports to protect. They also emphasize that even prior “removal” efforts, intended to slow one owl’s decline, did not actually reverse or stabilize declining populations. Others highlight that broader habitat destruction and related factors pose at least as significant a threat, yet the current proposal prioritizes lethal measures that threaten to be endless and costly.
Demanding the large-scale killing of one owl species to save another raises serious ethical and ecological red flags. Observers fear that, if allowed to proceed, this plan could set a dangerous precedent of resolving wildlife conflicts through indefinite carnage rather than more sustainable strategies. The call for immediate change is therefore urgent: suspend this destructive proposal and instead invest resources in responsible conservation efforts that do not rely on widespread killing.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Burgum,
A troubling plan calls for the “removal” of hundreds of thousands of barred owls over a 30-year span. Intended to protect another species, the spotted owl, that is declining, this approach involves empowering landowners to lure and shoot the barred owls, creating the potential for countless fatalities. Critics further suggest that, under poor visibility conditions, the targeted owls could be confused with the very species meant to be saved.
In addition, prior culling experiments seemingly only slowed spotted owl population decline without halting it altogether. Meanwhile, many argue that causes like habitat destruction may play a more significant role in undermining these threatened owls’ survival than any competition from another species ever could.
We respectfully urge you to cancel or reconsider this widespread lethal action. Instead, please direct more resources toward preserving vital habitats, reducing harmful human activities, and exploring non-lethal conservation methods. Meaningful coexistence should not hinge on mass slaughter of one species for the sake of another.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp
Save the Owls…shoot the idiots killing the owls.