Why Harry Potter spells disaster for Indonesia’s ghost owls
Illegal trade threatens birds as J.K. Rowling fans copy the boy wizard
SHE is the snowy owl who is Harry Potter’s cherished companion throughout his years at Hogwarts – and even delivers his post in the morning.
But conservationists have warned that Hedwig’s international fame – and a desire by fans to emulate the boy wizard – is behind a surge in the illegal trade of owls that could spell disaster for the bird.
Experts who surveyed 20 bird markets on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java reported that while only a few hundred owls were for sale in 2000 – the year before the first film came out – around 13,000 were sold last year.
Bird-keepers in the Far East have traditionally avoided owls in the past, but the popularity of J.K. Rowling’s bestselling books and the subsequent film franchise has boosted sales and seen owls become must-have pets.
Hundreds of online forums have appeared, with fans comparing notes on how to obtain the birds.
Concerned researchers have now called for owls to be included on Indonesia’s protected species list.
Professor Vincent Nijman, who co-wrote the paper for the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, warned that ordinary people have no idea how to look after the birds.
He said: ‘They are alive and cute when you see them on the market, but realistically they are already dead.’
Prof. Nijman added: ‘In the 1990s, when surveying the bird markets, I would typically see one or two owls for sale among the thousands of wild-caught birds on offer, but often there was not a single owl on display.
‘Now, returning to those same markets, we can see dozens of owls for sale, all taken from the wild.’
Researchers found that growing numbers of highly endangered owls were being trapped, traded or killed in black magic rituals. Many other characters in the Harry Potter books also kept owls, including the Weasley family’s post owl, Errol, an ancient great grey; Ron Weasley’s older brother, Percy, kept a screech-owl; and Harry’s nemesis, Draco Malfoy, had a large Eurasian eagle-owl.
Ms Rowling has previously said: ‘If anybody has been influenced by my books to think an owl would be happiest shut in a small cage and kept in a house, I would like to take this opportunity to say as forcefully as I can, “You are wrong.”’