American biologists hunt another invasive owl to save endangered owls

According to the American Broadcasting Corporation reported on February 28, recently, a biologist in the United States is hunting an invasive transverse spotted owl, and his purpose is to protect the local endangered spotted owl.

The move has reportedly been approved by the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service. According to the local San Jose Courier, Lowell Diller, a biologist responsible for hunting the spotted owl, is also a contractor for Green Diamond Resources. The company is mainly engaged in the timber business, and its forest farms are located in Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties.

It is reported that the transverse spotted owl, also known as the transverse spotted forest owl, is the culprit of "bullying" the spotted owl. The owl originally inhabited the eastern United States, but later invaded California, seized the territory of the spotted owl, and then spread southward towards San Francisco. The survival of the native northern spotted owl is once again under serious threat and in dire need of protection.

In 2009, to expel transverse owls, Diller opened up a special woodland for controlled trials. After 4 years, he found that there was no woodland for transverse spotted owls, and the number of spotted owls in the north was no longer declining. Diller therefore applied for a hunting permit. Subsequently, studies published in the Journal of Wildlife Management and Wildlife Monographs showed that once spotted owls did not need to compete with transverse owls for "territory", their numbers would rebound. As a result, Diller's protection tests have been effective.

According to the report, the move made many animal activists feel uncomfortable. Andrey Jones, director of bird conservation at the California chapter of the Audubon Society in the United States, said, "This is a dilemma, and [therefore] we neither advocate nor oppose hunting." She also said the destruction of the pristine habitat was the source of the crime that caused the two species of owls to "hurt each other." Sean Capet, head of wildlife conservationist's Northwest program, agrees that the expulsion of the spotted owl is only a matter of interest, and the long-term solution lies in restoring habitat. Diller also said he doesn't enjoy the thrill of hunting animals and just wants to focus on protecting spotted owls. According to him, two weeks after the expulsion of the transverse owl, a pair of spotted owls "reappeared in the jianghu".

The spotted owl was listed as an endangered species in 1990. Although measures have been taken since the 1990s to protect the habitat of spotted owls, in some areas their numbers have been decimated by 12% per year. (Intern Editor: Wu Sijing Review: Mou Yanchen)

Editor-in-charge: Wu Sijing Mou Yanchen