How we can still save Canada’s last spotted owls

There are only three spotted owls outside of captivity left in Canada, only one of which was born in the wild. And as their habitat continues to shrink, restoring the population will only become more difficult.

Sarah Cox, a BC-based Investigative Reporter at The Narwhal, says the history of the spotted owl reflects the ongoing dilemma of governments attempting to balance industrial logging interests with environmental goals.

“The spotted owl has very much become synonymous with the destruction of old-growth forests in British Columbia. They also are what’s known as an umbrella species … if their populations are secure, then many other species in that forest will also be secure,” says Cox.

There is still hope to protect the spotted owls, if federal and provincial governments can work together. So will they?

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