Why is US government planning to kill 500,000 owls?

A Biden-era plan to kill 5,00,000 owls is moving forward despite widespread criticism. The government has decided to kill nearly half a million barred owls because they are better hunters and are outcompeting the native species, the spotted owl.

The critics and wildlife conservationists have called the plan "unnecessary" and “unlikely to succeed”.

Professional hunters will be hired to kill the birds and in some areas where use of firearms is not allowed, the birds will be captured and then euthanised. For context, killing half a million barred owls means elimination of almost 10 per cent of their population.

Republican Senator John Kennedy has slammed the government, calling it to be the “dumbest decision ever”. He added that the government wants to tip the scales of nature in favour of spotted owls.

Kennedy has introduced a resolution to stop this “non-sense”. To stop the plan, a joint resolution signed by President Trump must be passed by the Congress, limiting the agency’s power to give go ahead to such plans without explicit approvals.

The senator slammed the Department of Interior, stating, “They want to kill 453,000 barred owls just because they think they it is a better hunter than the spotted owl.”

Spotted owl was declared endangered in 1990.