Indonesian owls under the 'Harry Potter curse'?

Activists are claiming that Indonesian owls are in danger after being sold in bird markets by Harry Potter fans, reports BBC.

Speaking to BBC, Rajib Hadie, a member of the Jakarta Owl Community said, “I was inspired by the film Harry Potter, I saw Hedwig the snowy owl. But it’s hard to find one of them in Indonesia. So I got this Bubo Sumatranus who looks similar. Now in Indonesia quite a lot of owls are being sold, so it wasn’t too hard to buy one.”



In Indonesia, owls are called the “ghost” birds. “Before Harry Potter, people stayed away from them. They are viewed as mystical. When they cry out people belive they have seen a ghost. That’s why they’re called ghost birds,” said Hadie.

The Jakarta Owl Community which was set up last year now has 30 members and is growing. “There is someone whose job it is to find the owls in the wild. He knows where their natural habitat is and how to catch them.”

“Researchers say they’re usually taken as babies from their nests, and then brought here to be sold in these huge bird markets that you find across Java. Until recently it was very rare to find owls on sale, but it’s different now” a BBC representative added.



Famke de Haas, from the Jakarta Animal Aid network told BBC, “Owls have a very important role to keep the eco-system in balance. So by removing many owls from the wild to be sold on the bird markets is very, very concerning.”

Activists want greater legal protection, to lift the Harry Potter curse.

Hadie, believes otherwise. “I do feel bad for the owls, but I think his life is better with than in the wild.”