Animal rights groups have legally challenged a plan by the federal government to shoot and kill up to 450,000 barred owls on the West Coast of the United States in order to protect the northern spotted owl. Conservationists argue that the barred owls have been wrongly labelled as invasive and should not be targeted in this manner. A coalition of 75 US animal rights and wildlife protection organizations have also sent a letter to the US Interior Secretary asking for the plan to be scrapped, stating that it is a reckless action that prioritizes single-species myopia over non-lethal management actions to protect spotted owls and their habitats.

The Animal Wellness Action Group and the Center for a Humane Economy have filed lawsuits challenging the plan, emphasizing that the idea of defining range expansion as creating invasive animals is a flawed approach. The controversy surrounds the potential mass killing of barred owls in an effort to save another species, bringing attention to the ethical and ecological implications of such a decision.