India's owl-population crisis: Is Harry Potter to blame?

A pet-owl craze is sweeping India, and wild birds are in decline. Are the boy wizard and his own pet owl, Hedwig, behind the problem?

Author J.K. Rowling gave her hero, Harry Potter, a Snowy Owl because she considers it "the most beautiful" of all owls.
(Image credit: Facebook)

Hunting and selling owls has been illegal in India since 1972, but a new report from the country's environment ministry says a thriving black market is endangering wild populations of the birds. And Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh says J.K. Rowling's fictional wizard Harry Potter is partly to blame. What's really going on? Here, a brief guide:

How could this be Harry Potter's fault?

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