Owls of protest

HARRY Potter author Joanne Rowling could never have foreseen it when she decided to make owls deliver the wizard post in her novels. But with the first Harry Potter film taking the country by storm, conservation groups are already worried about a new threat - to owls.

Parents, apparently, are clamouring to buy owls as gifts for children entranced by the antics of Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl messenger in the film Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

Even before the film opened at the weekend conservation centres around the country had been inundated with requests to buy the birds as presents - and the craze is expected to become a stampede in the run up to Christmas.

Animal lovers fear it could lead to a repeat of the terrapin craze following the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films of the early Nineties or else of the 101 Dalmatians effect - when, a few months after Christmas 1996, rescue centres were inundated with unwanted Dalmatians.

"We're not out to spoil anybody's enjoyment of the film, but we do hope children won't come out thinking 'what I really want for Christmas is a pet owl'," says David Hirst, Yorkshire spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

"I cannot think of anything more wonderful than going out at this time of year and seeing barn owls gliding across the sky in the fading light as dusk comes down. But owls are best appreciated in the wild rather than cooped up in a family's back yard."

Jean Thorpe of Ryedale Rehabilitation, the Norton-based animal and bird rescue centre, is equally concerned. "I hope Harry Potter won't have that effect, but I fear it probably will," she says.

What concerns bird lovers is that owls are birds of prey - and they don't make good pets. While it is illegal to keep wild owls in the UK there is a trade in 'close ringed' birds, which are bred in captivity. Children are legally allowed to keep the birds and while snowy owls such as Hedwig are difficult to come by, a barn owl can be bought for as little as £30 to £40. But buying an owl is one thing; keeping it is quite another.

They can't be kept in cages - even though Harry carries Hedwig around in a cage - because they catch their feathers and damage them in the bars, Jean points out. To thrive, they need a large aviary, so they can fly around unobstructed.

"They need plenty of wing space, a 12 to 15 feet long aviary at least," Jean says. "And they have to have raw food: dead mice, dead day-old chicks, dead raw meat with the fur and feathers on. That's not a pleasant thing for children to feed them."

Many owls are shy, solitary creatures; and many are nocturnal, so while you are up and about all they want is a quiet spot to roost in peace. And on top of everything, being birds of prey, they can be very dangerous.

"They have very, very sharp talons," says Heather Holmes, Yorkshire spokesperson for the RSPCA. "They can inflict deep puncture wounds."

Snowy owls in particular are solitary and dangerous birds - more used to hunting in the snowy wastes of the Arctic than being kept in a domestic back garden. In captivity, they can live up to 30 years, developing a wingspan of over five feet.

"They are very aggressive, and they are loners, used to wide open spaces," says Jean. "They are also not the most intelligent of birds, which makes them even more difficult to handle. To try to keep one as a pet is asking for trouble. A child is going to be injured."

What most concerns bird-lovers, however, is the unintentional cruelty that that can be inflicted on owls by owners who don't know what they are doing.

Every year two or three owls are handed in to Jean at Ryedale Rehabilitation - and she fears that number will grow because of the Harry Potter film.

Some of the birds handed in are in appalling condition. There was one which had had the leather 'jesses' on its legs put on too tight, Jean recalls. "One leg was black. It had died and gangrene had set in. There was no skin left on the leg. We knew the bird would have to lose its leg and we put it to sleep."

If people really want to see owls, suggests David Hirst at the RSPB, they are best heading off to one of the local bird sanctuaries in hope of catching a glimpse of the birds in their natural state. There are short-eared owls (active in daytime) overwintering near Bempton Cliffs at the moment - and if you go to Blacktoft Sands you may be lucky enough to see barn owls gliding about at dusk, little owls or short-eared owls.

Owls of all kinds which have been trained by experienced falconers can also be seen at Falconry UK, at Sion Hill Hall, Kirby Wiske - though it is closed for the winter season at the moment.

Meanwhile, if a child really wants an owl of their very own, parents should really think about a toy one, says Jean Thorpe.

"I understand people wanting to be near these birds, because they are beautiful," she says. "But a child is never going to be able to cuddle an owl. There are some lovely Harry Potter soft toy snowy owls around, so if they really love the look of these owls, get one of them, rather than going for the real thing. They really are not a bird to be trifled with."

Updated: 10:12 Tuesday, November 20, 2001