This week, there was some disturbing news regarding a decline in owl populations in India.

‘Harry Potter’ Fans Blamed For Decline In Owl Population In India

India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that owls in the country are being taken from the wild by Harry Potter fans who want to keep the birds as pets. …

[He] said that the decline of owls in the wild coincided with the increased popularity of Harry Potter in India.

It’s very sad to see that parents are trapping owls in the wild to give as pets to their children. We’ve seen similar behavior in the United States during Easter time when parents will purchase rabbits for their children for the holiday, only to abandon or return them soon after. [I wrote about it here: Easter Bunnies: Make Mine Chocolate].

In my coverage of the story at Geeks of Doom, I talked about how these parents should leave the birds in their natural habitat, and instead, sponsor an owl for their child from a reputable wildlife organization like Defenders Of Wildlife. With the donation, you get a plush doll, certificate, color photo, and fact sheet that would be more rewarding for a child who loves owls, and certainly more beneficial to the owls.

I sponsor a snowy owl at Defenders of Wildlife each year, and so I was able to put up a picture of my plush owl (sitting with my cat, Sixx).

After seeing my story, Defenders of Wildlife linked to it in their coverage [Harry Potter: Bad for Owls?] and quoted me. They also personally emailed me to thank me for my article, which really made my day and helped me realize that even though I run a popular entertainment website, I can still use my voice there to possibly made a difference. Even if I got through to one person, I would be really happy.

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