DescentBB

Curious how the great state of Oregon and the Fed. Govt. are allowing the culling of Barred Owls simply because they are expanding their range at the expense of the Spotted Owl. So do you think we should be playing god in what is a natural selection process? Note we are not talking about a invasive species from another country. I post this as I have Bewicks wrens living around the house and I see they are displacing House Wrens as the Bewicks expand their territory. Should we not then be killing the Bewicks also. Or is it that the Spotted Owl has just gained more sympathy than a lesser notable animal like the House Wren (and I bet a dollar to a biscuit hole that none of you were aware that the lowly House Wren was being driven out of its habitat). Guess you have to be more visible to become a cause celebre .

Did your right-wing "news" network tell you this is what you're supposed to be outraged about today?

We cannot choose to be or not to be part of the natural selection process. Everything humans do, regardless of value, is part of natural selection. To think otherwise is to commit one of a few logical fallacies. If we choose to ignore a dying species, that is natural selection. If we choose to save a dying species, that is also natural selection. Humans are part of nature.

I think it's a waste of money and Owls. There's no way we'd be able to kill enough Barred Owls to make a difference, unless every person in Oregon went out into the forests and shot every Barred Owl they saw. Nature has a way of working around everything we do anyway. Take the cougar for example. Sad to say, we nearly wiped them out in Oregon before we outlawed hunting them with dogs in the 1990's. Since then, the deer population has exploded and now they're a common vehicle hazard even in town and love eat through everyone's yard like brush mowers. Because of that increased food source and lack of hunting, the cougars are making a vigorous comeback and are also starting to become a nuisance in urban areas and actually attacking people. I've seen their spore in my own yard, so they're around at night. I hope I don't look tasty some evening when I'm outside. Now there's talk about bringing back hunting cougars with dogs in order to deal with the cougar population explosion since that stupid ban worked out a little too well. The best laid plans of humans when it comes to wildlife management never seems to work out, because whenever we humans affect a change in nature, we put the balance out of whack.

https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon ... ervention/

Should we not kill off Starlings as they are not native to NA? Let nature take it's course.