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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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Amateur photographers are being urged to stop taking snaps of snowy owls amid concerns that the intrusive behavior of these wildlife enthusiasts may be doing harm to conservation efforts.
According to a report by Bangor Daily News, several social media groups are now refusing to post snowy owl photos in an attempt to discourage the "paparazzi-like behavior" of some photographers.
The Facebook group Maine Wildlife, which boasts over 127,000 members, is among those to have begun rejecting snowy owl image submissions. Troy Dyer, one of the group's administrators, told Newsweek the issue was first brought to light by several professional photographers in the group.
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"There have been several instances where at least a dozen people were too close to the owls so they would fly off to get a shot of them flying," Dyer said. "[Owls] need to save their energy to hunt and if they expend a lot of energy flying off they could possibly die from exhaustion/hunger."
Primarily based in the Arctic regions of North America, and across northern Europe and Asia, in 2021 snowy owls were assessed as "vulnerable" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
This is the last designation given before a species falls into the category of being endangered and comes amid concerns over the dwindling population size. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, research published in 2017 found the adult population had decreased to 28,000, down from 200,000 in 2013.
Maine Wildlife is just one of a handful of online communities who are taking steps to try to protect the snowy owl. Bangor Daily News reports that a similar ban has been implemented by the Chicago Audubon Society.
Speaking to the news outlet, Doug Hitchcox, a naturalist at Maine Audubon and wild bird expert, explained that the problem lies in the fact snowy owls roost and sleep in open spaces during the day, making them easy to spot and disrupt.
"Everyone seems to want the flight shot, which you won't get when it's roosting, or the portrait shot so they are way too close," he said. "I have definitely seen over the years photos of [snowy owls] that were taken so close to the owl it caused the bird to wake up and fly off, expending valuable energy it needs to survive the winter."
It is hoped that the warnings posted on social media will deter amateur photographers from getting too close to the owls for the same picture.
In a post sent to members within the Maine Wildlife group, administrators explained: "It took [the owls] time to fly here and they expend a lot of energy hunting... With people constantly chasing [and] harassing them, they are not allowing them to hunt [and] eat, which will lead to starvation."
Essentially, these snowy owls are often in the U.S. to get through the winter before heading back to the Arctic to breed more and maintain the species' existence.
While the social media admins and experts know they can't prevent people from seeking out snowy owls for once-in-a-lifetime encounters, they hope nature enthusiasts will think about the bigger picture and do their part to ensure the survival of the species.
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