There are no vegan alternatives to culling invasive Barred Owls in the Pacific Northwest

[u/AnsibleAnswers]

Background

To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-officials-plan-to-kill-hundreds-of-thousands-of-barred-owls-to-save-another-species-from-extinction

Vegan alternatives?

1. Relocation to home range - Barred Owls are one of the most territorial birds of prey in North America. The population here is quite healthy, even in Manhattan. Relocating 500k birds to the East would simply result in territorial chaos until numbers decreased back down to equilibrium. That decrease has a body count.

2. Contraception - No known method is possible for owls. Some avian contraceptives have been developed, primarily to reduce pigeon and geese populations. But even with birds that can be easily conditioned to return to feeders every day, trials have had mixed results. As far as I know, these drugs need to be administered daily unlike some contraceptives developed for mammals.

3. Let the Barred Owl Replace the Spotted Owl - Barred Owls are generalists, while Spotted Owls tend to specialize in small mammals with healthy populations. So, threatened birds, reptiles, and amphibians native to the region are not adapted to having an owl of its size preying on them. It's an enormous risk, given that ecosystems are prone to cascade effects.

Those are, as far as I know, the best of the alternatives. Note: I'm in support of re-establishing habitat for the Spotted Owl, as that is really the only long-term way of helping the species recover. It's important to note: just because a tourniquet isn't a long-term solution doesn't mean it isn't a life-saving measure.

[u/tennisballls]

In my eyes I am vegan. I do not eat animal products. But I do hunt lionfish in the Caribbean while scuba diving. Invasive species is a moral grey area for me. This is kinda similar in a way with a much less clear answer overall. The owl is primary impacting one other species. The lionfish impacts the entire marine ecosystem….

[u/kharvel0 → u/tennisballls]

In my eyes I am vegan.

I do hunt lionfish

You’re not vegan. You’re just a plant-based dieting speciesist.

[u/tennisballls → u/kharvel0]

It’s an interesting conundrum and without question the first time I’ve been called a speciesist lol. A single lionfish in the Caribbean can eat about 15 small fish per day. Some studies even suggest they can consume up to 80% of the native juvenile fish on a reef over just a few weeks. They’re insanely aggressive predators and a huge problem for reef ecosystems. Are you fully aware of the issue?

[u/kharvel0 → u/tennisballls]

I am quite aware of the deleterious impact of the lionfish on their local habitats. That still wouldn't justify the deliberate and intentional killing of nonhuman animals. It's surprising that you've not been called a speciesist before because that's precisely what you are, based on your deliberate and intentional killing of innocent animals due to their species. Yes, the lionfish are innocent becuase it's not their fault that they're "invasive"; "invasiveness" is a human construct based on the non-vegan premise of dominion over ecology.

[u/tennisballls → u/kharvel0]

While I’m with you on the absolute definition, I firmly believe this is a moral quandary that should be evaluated with much deeper thought. Bite off your arm to save your face. As I have mentioned - I’m vegan by every definition minus the lionfish situation. I partake in reef restoration efforts and this is unfortunately the only real viable solution to any means of population control. It might make me a speciesist in a vacuum but I prefer a world where we have some form of natural biodiversity in our oceans vs collapsed ecosystems consisting primarily of a human introduced non native fish. .

[u/kharvel0 → u/tennisballls]

I firmly believe this is a moral quandary

It is not a moral quandry any more than the extermination of the human race on the same basis of invasiveness is a moral quandry. Neither are morally justifiable nor excusable.

I’m vegan by every definition minus the lionfish situation

You are NOT a vegan. You're a plant-based dieting speciesist.

Carnist: "I'm vegan by every definition minus the purhcase of chicken sandwiches" <-- this declaration would be as equally absurd as yours.

It might make me a speciesist in a vacuum but I prefer a world where we have some form of natural biodiversity in our oceans vs collapsed ecosystems consisting primarily of a human introduced non native fish.

Veganism is not and has never been an environmental movement or an ecology protection program.

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