US: In a decisive vote, the US Senate has rejected an attempt to stop a federal wildlife plan that would see nearly half a million barred owls killed to protect the endangered northern spotted owl. The resolution, led by Republican senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, failed by a wide margin, with 25 senators voting in favor and 72 opposed.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) says barred owls, which have spread west from eastern North America, are threatening the survival of the smaller, native spotted owl by outcompeting it for habitat and food. The strategy, introduced under the Biden administration, would allow trained specialists to identify and remove barred owls in targeted areas across the Pacific Northwest.
Conservation officials argue the action is necessary to prevent the spotted owl from disappearing entirely, after decades of habitat loss due to logging and development in old-growth forests.
The plan has sparked heated debate. Animal-welfare organizations strongly criticized the cull, calling it dangerous and unjustified, while some conservation groups say it is a painful but unavoidable step to protect a species on the brink. More than 80 animal-welfare groups denounced the proposal last year, warning it could set a troubling precedent in wildlife management.
The federal government—which can barely even deliver mail with the address on the front of the envelope—has a plan to kill more than 10% of the North American Barred Owl population.
My resolution would stop this nonsense. pic.twitter.com/Pp5Oz3teHY
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) October 29, 2025
Senator Kennedy condemned the plan as government overreach, arguing that barred owls are simply adapting to nature and should not be punished for it. He claimed the policy amounted to humans attempting to reshape the natural order and called it a misguided approach to conservation.
During remarks on the Senate floor, he said he had been urged to withdraw his resolution by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum but refused, insisting the agency was attempting to control nature instead of working with it.
Despite the pushback, support for the culling strategy has grown among forestry and conservation interests in the Pacific Northwest, including two Democratic senators from Oregon. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden backed the USFWS approach, saying it came after years of study, tribal consultation, and review of alternatives. They emphasized that barred owls are considered invasive in the region and pose a direct threat to the survival of the spotted owl.
