Almost 500,000 Owls to Be Shot in US Government Plan

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has a 30-year plan to kill around 470,000 Barred Owls in order to save the Spotted Owl from extinction. Spotted owls are federally protected in the US. Despite that protection from human intervention, their populations have been declining in several states. Another nocturnal bird, the Barred owl, is encroaching on the spotted owl's territory. This decision is highly controversial amongst conservationists and animal lovers.