The Spotted Owl was first considered endangered in 1990. Since then, the Spotted Owl population has dropped 40 percent because of habitat loss and Barred Owls. Barred Owls live in the same areas as Spotted Owls, but are larger and are better hunters. They make survival next to impossible for their smaller cousins.
Because of this, the Obama Administration passed a new law that allows government workers to shoot Barred Owls so that Spotted Owls can thrive, as well as allowing logging to happen if it is home to a Barred Owl. Is this really necessary? Why should Spotted Owls be given the right to live, but Barred Owls have that right snatched away? Shouldn't all species be protected?
I think that this is totally wrong, and that there are much less cruel ways of dealing with this issue. I think that the government should set up a special captivity spot for the spotted owl, where breeding can take place and the population can rise. I think that by shooting the barred owls, the natural cycle called the cirlce of life can't take place. Animals die all the time, naturally, but by shooting the barred owls it may cause them to one day be extinct. I think that there is many different, effective ways to solving this problem, and this is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Molly, there are other ways to deal with this issue. If we shoot the barred owl we could end up making them go almost extinct. I say just leave them alone. They are wild birds and they have to fend for themselves. What would the spotted owl do if we weren't here to "keep them safe"? Are we really keeping both owls safe? We destroyed most of the spotted owls habitat, and we want to shoot the barred owl. This is nature, let nature run its course. If we can't do that we might, as Molly said, run the risk of almost endangering another owl. Can we really afford to endanger yet another species?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Megan and Molly on this issue. We need to use other methods to protect these birds because if we aren't careful, we could have another type of endangered owl. It could be as simple as relocating some of the Barred Owls so that there are more places for the Spotted Owls to live. All animals are Gods creation and we should be treated with kindness.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, I can understand from the governments point of view, trying to make survival for the spotted owl easier. It cannot be easy trying to survive when the barred owls are bigger and better hunters. On the other hand, I don't think it is right for the government to just shoot them, but perhaps relocate them?
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