A beautiful bird was shot and killed in the name of safety, and it’s not sitting well with some residents.
A worker at the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh shot a protected snowy owl.
Airport officials said the shooting prevented a possibly dangerous collision. But the local Audubon wonders if there was a better option.
"It would not respond so we had no choice because the bird was adjacent to a runway within a safety area and for the safety of pilots," said Peter Monn, the airport’s director.
It’s the first snowy owl killed by the airport in 12 years.
Airport officials do have permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowing lethal action as a last resort.
