US government to shoot down 450K barred owls out west to stave off rival owl’s extinction: ‘DEI for owls?’

DEI is apparently alive and well on the West Coast.

The US government has begun shooting down up to 450,000 barred owls across California, Oregon and Washington — in a controversial culling effort to thwart the extinction of a rival owl.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service project to preserve the endangered spotted owl, finalized a year ago, should could cost taxpayers an estimated $1.35 billion over the next 30 years.

The matter triggered a year-long ethical debate in Washington DC.

Last month, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) tried blocking the plan by bringing the matter to a vote with a joint resolution, but the legislation failed to generate enough votes.

“The barred owls are not hurting anybody,” Kennedy insisted. “They’re just doing what nature teaches them to do. We’re going to change nature? We’re going to control our environment to this extent?

“We’re going to pass DEI for owls?

In addition to outcompeting the spotted owl, barred owls are known for their aggression — even attacking humans.

There’s been an ongoing effort to save northern spotted owls, which were first listed as a threatened species in 1990.

Non-native barred owls are believed to have been responsible for a 65% to 85% decline in spotted owl populations between 1995 and 2017.

Barred owls have been migrating west as they lost their habitats to rampant development.

They are larger and more territorial than spotted owls, who are losing their nesting grounds and food sources to their rival.

Individuals trained to identify members of the species will be hired to shoot them down.