Apparently we’re now taking sides in the Great Circle of Life:
Should we kill barred owls to save the northern spotted owl, and can it work?
The U.S. government, facing ongoing decline in protected spotted owl numbers, wants to try ridding the woods of some of its bigger and more aggressive cousins, the barred owl.
That might mean shooting them, trapping them and moving them out, or some other technique. And if the experiment works, it could be expanded across the Pacific Northwest for years to come.
Via Jules Crittenden. Do spotted owl tears cure cancer, or something? – because it’s darn certain that neither species vote or pay taxes, and it’s for darn certain that human loggers do both. And, frankly, I’m not exactly clear on why we need to pick an arbitrary point in time and say that There Shalt Be No Change In The Ecosystem From This Point On.
Besides: if you really want to save the spotted owl, spread the rumor that it’s tasty and/or a tricky game bird. Nobody preserves critters like hunters’ advocacy groups do.
Moe Lane
Crossposted to RedState.