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SEATTLE (AP) - A team of Pacific Northwest scientists has recommended capturing many or all of British Columbia's remaining northern spotted owls and breeding them at zoos throughout the region in an effort to prevent their extinction.
The recommendation was made two months ago in a 50-page report leaked to Sierra Legal, a Canadian environmental law firm. Sierra Legal posted the report on its Web site Thursday.
Under the plan, designed to prevent the owl's extinction in the province, biologists would capture half or all of the fewer than two dozen birds remaining, breed them at zoos or other wildlife facilities in the Pacific Northwest, and eventually release them back into the wild — as long as the government agrees to protect areas where the owls resettle.
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