There’s a crisis concerning the wild owl population in India, and Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is placing the blame on one person:  Harry Potter.  That’s right, Harry Potter and his pet owl Hedwig are to blame for India’s fascination with the owl as a pet.  It’s definitely not the fault of all those Diwali owl sacrifices or the black magic trade, it’s parents trapping owls as pets for their children.

“Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls,” said Ramesh after a presentation by the wildlife group Traffic called, “Imperilled Custodians of the Night.”  (That’d make a great name for a metal band.)

Are owls just that easy to catch without an invisibility cloak?  I know owls are pretty hard to kill, even if they’re not particularly brave.  Well, hopefully they can substitute owls for some more common critters, like rats or kittens, and just pretend they’re magical rats with magical hats.

Tags: owl crisis, owl crisis blamed on Harry Potter, Harry Potter blamed for owl poaching, owl shortages, India, unusual pets, unusual wild animal problems, Hedwig the Owl, wild owls, Jairam Ramesh, Diwali, black magic

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