Strange Step: Execution of Half a Million Owls in America

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a plan to eliminate nearly 450,000 owls over three decades, in an effort to save the endangered "spotted owl" in the states of Oregon, Washington, and California. The spotted owl is a native species on the West Coast, facing the threat of extinction due to the invasive "barred owl," which has spread from the eastern United States. Barred owls reproduce in larger numbers and require less space to survive, making it difficult for the spotted owl to compete. The execution will be carried out by trained shooters in the forests of the West Coast, where barred owls will be lured using recorded call sounds and then shot.