Indian Owls in Peril

Today's WaPo includes an article on the difficulties various species of owls face in South Asia. The biggest issue, unsurprisingly, is that the bird's most significant predator is humanity. In India and other South Asian nations, owls are perceived to have supernatural properties. Shamans use owl parts as the essential item in their magical packages. That's bad news for the live birds, as they are relentlessly hunted, sold, and eventually slaughtered for divine purposes.

I hold owls in high esteem as well, but I don't have any urge to kill them. There are other ways to tap into their mojo, while connecting to their ancient aura, as Harry Potter did (see photograph).