US Fish and Wildlife Service proposes killing half a million barred owls to protect endangered spotted owls, sparking controversy.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposes killing around half a million barred owls to protect the endangered spotted owl, sparking controversy among conservationists and animal welfare advocates. The proposal, published in November, has drawn opposition from 75 organizations who call it "reckless" and suggest non-lethal management actions instead. The USFWS argues that if no action is taken to cull the barred owl population, the northern spotted owl will face extinction. The barred owl has been crowding out its less aggressive relative, the northern spotted owl, in the Northwestern states.