British Columbia Spotted Owls

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle May 22, 2007

British Columbia is the only Canadian province with Spotted Owls, and even there, they are doing so poorly that there are only about 25 birds left. The problem is habitat loss—Spotted Owls live only in old growth forest, and logging companies in both the United States and Canada have been allowed to harvest so much of this timber that little remains.

A scientific advisory team—the Spotted Owl Population Enhancement Team—made up of scientists from the United States and Canada has been studying the plight of the Spotted Owl in British Columbia. They have recommended that all the remaining Spotted Owls be captured and bred in captivity to increase the population for reintroduction later.

Captive rearing programs for birds threatened with extinction have worked with other species. The California Condor was saved from extinction by captive rearing and then reintroduced to both California and Mexico. The population of wild Whooping Cranes has been increased with captive rearing, as has the population of the Piping Plover. These three birds, however, had suitable habitat to live in when released. If British Columbia doesn’t move immediately to protect old growth forest, any attempt to reintroduce Spotted Owls there will be futile.

What do you think British Columbia should do about the threat to the Spotted Owl? Join the Discussion.

Sources:

Hume, Mark. “B.C.'s spotted owl near extinction.” Globeandmail.com May 17, 2007

Johnson, Gene. “Scientists Advise Capturing Spotted Owls.” Comcast.news May 17, 2007