The Curse of Harry Potter

The Pasar Burung are literally avian markets where animals are for sale and are very typical in some cities in the island of Java. In these, the animals, which are packed together and treated poorly, await to be sold and taken to a home where they will be exposed. Traditionally, the type of birds that were sold in these markets were songbirds, many of them bred in captivity. Nevertheless the Harry Potter movies have had a big influence on the sale of owls in the bird markets of Indonesia. After watching the movies, many children want to have an owl at home. As a result, the capture and sale of these birds has skyrocketed in Indonesia. Sometimes, some owls are even painted white to make them look more like the ones in the movie. Many owls are exposed near animals that are their natural predators. Unable to fly, the owls open their wings to look larger. This makes many buyers interested in the animal. Of course, these animals are under great stress that costs the lives of several of them.

A few years ago it was uncommon to find owls in the markets. However, today they are frequent. Owls are difficult to breed and many die in captivity. Because of this the chicks and the owls on sale are stolen from the nests in the wild.