Sen. John Kennedy Critiques Plan to Cull Barred Owls

On Tuesday, Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy expressed strong disapproval of the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) recent proposal to cull hundreds of thousands of owls, suggesting that federal officials are attempting to “play God.” The DOI aims to eliminate approximately 453,000 North American barred owls to protect the spotted owl population.

Kennedy is planning to introduce a resolution to block this initiative. While criticizing the plan, he showcased a photo featuring Elmer Fudd alongside two owl species, accusing the DOI of applying diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles even to owls.

“The Department of the Interior is upset with the barred owl because they’re better hunters,” Kennedy remarked. “The spotted owl is just a better hunter. That’s just how it is… God made the spotted owl a better hunter. The DOI claims this threatens the spotted owl, which, although not endangered, seems to be getting extra attention due to its superior hunting skills over the barred owl. They’ve even created owl quotas based on these concepts.”

Kennedy noted that the barred owl’s habitat is expanding due to deforestation in the eastern U.S. He argued that no federal organization should meddle with the natural instincts of wildlife.

“Are we really going to alter nature this way? Are we going to regulate the environment with a DEI for owls? It’s absurd to label spotted owls as good or bad. But let’s be clear, they’re not going to lose their rights… even as they plan to kill 453 of them. It’s like creating a crime scene with no justification,” he continued.

Furthermore, Kennedy stated in a press release that this strategy will not effectively reduce the owl population because the barred owls would likely return to their original habitats if the culling stopped. He also highlighted that the implementation of this policy could cost taxpayers around $1.35 billion.