The Barred Owl that had stayed in Central Park for about ten months, was hit by a Central Park Conservancy vehicle early on Friday. The owl died.

Sadly individuals like Bob DeCandido and David Barrett, have exploited the owl’s death for yet more self-promotion in the media, including The New York Times. It was shameful to see, in what was basically an obituary for this owl, “Birding Bob” promoting unnecessary use of playback, and his owl tours. So much for respecting the memory of this owl.

Individuals on social media have been quick to blame the Conservancy and the Park’s Department for the wrong reasons. Folks have criticized the Conservancy for having a vehicle driving slowly at a late hour. This is not unusual for the park, and after-hours maintenance happens on a regular basis. Unfortunately, owls which have very limited peripheral vision, get into vehicle accidents often. This clearly was an accident.

The Barred Owl stayed in Central Park because of the abundant supply of rodents available in the Ramble, rather than migrating to safer, more rural location. It favored three areas after fly out, each overrun by Brown Rats due to excessive feeding of birds, raccoons and squirrels, which has resulted in rat colonies north the “oven” on the Lake, at Timothy Laupot Bridge and near the Humming Tombstone.

Sadly, social media has promoted the indiscriminate feeding of birds and animals, which kept this owl from migrating naturally to a safer, rural location. This is what we should be angry about. By not respecting the boundary between man and wildlife, this owl was killed by the irresponsible individuals who created a Brown Rat infestation in the Ramble and the Loch.

The Central Park Conservancy had implemented great rodent control programs in the Ramble and the North Woods, only to have these programs upended by the careless and unneeded feeding of wildlife.

So, if you want to be angry, get angry at the folks who have created this rodent infestation. And it’s not just the folks doing the feeding.

Mitchell Silver, the former Park’s Commissioner who was too much of a coward to go against public opinion and adopt the proposed regulations limiting the feeding of wildlife in city parks. He went against his own staff in the Wildlife Unit and the Urban Park Rangers units of the Park’s department, which left these units without any leverage to stop this indiscriminate feeding of wildlife in the Central Park.

Or David Barrett who promote the hand feeding of birds in the Ramble and the Loch, which have converted both from natural areas into petting zoos.