Harry Potter blamed for fuelling India owls' demise

"Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls," Mr Ramesh said.Harry Potter publishers Bloomsbury declined to comment on Mr Ramesh's assertions.

The report's author, Abrar Ahmed, wrote that he decided to investigate the owl trade after being asked by a friend to procure a live white-coloured owl for her son's Harry Potter-themed 10th birthday party.

"This was probably one of the strangest demands made to me as an ornithologist," he wrote.

His research found that growing number of owls, a highly endangered species in India, are now being trapped, traded or killed in black magic rituals.

The report says that half of India's 30 species of owl can be found on sale in markets.

Others are killed for medicinal purposes.

"The sacrifice of owls on auspicious occasions appears to be a regular practice and [there could be] a possible increase in trade and sacrifices around Diwali," the Imperilled Custodians of the Night report says. ...

via BBC News - Harry Potter blamed for fuelling India owls' demise.