This Diwali, to bring awareness that owls are not to be sacrificed for rituals, TRAFFIC and WWF-India have collaborated to clear all misinformation and superstitions revolving around these nocturnal birds.
Every year during Diwali festivities, thousands of owls fall prey to superstitions, as they are trapped and traded for ritual sacrifices.
As part of the larger goal to protect the avian species, the two wildlife preservation organisations have produced posters and other identification tools in English and Hindi. This information-heavy material has been shared with enforcement agencies and the general public.
Dr Merwyn Fernandes, coordinator of TRAFFIC’s India Office, said: “Owls are nocturnal hunters and play a crucial role in balancing the ecosystem. They are considered friends of farmers, keeping rodents and other agrarian pest populations in check. Owls also have a strong cultural significance as a vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi. Despite such strong relevance, superstitious and manipulated beliefs have created a demand for owls that threatens its future.”
India is home to about 36 owl species, all protected under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, against hunting, trade or any other form of exploitation.
Despite this, at least 16 owl species have been commonly found in the illegal wildlife trade, including the Asian barred owlet, barn owl, brown fish owl, brown hawk owl, brown wood-owl, collared owlet, collared scops-owl, dusky eagle owl, eastern grass-owl, jungle owlet, mottled wood-owl, Oriental scops-owl, rock eagle-owl, spot-bellied eagle-owl, spotted owlet and tawny fish-owl.
Every year, owls are sacrificed for mystic rituals and practices especially in smaller towns and villages, where parts of an owl—skull, feathers, ear tufts, claws, heart, liver, kidney, blood, eyes, fat, beak, tears, eggshells, meat, and bones—are prescribed for ceremonial pujas and rituals.
Lack of awareness about owls, which lead to misbeliefs, and the limited capacity of enforcement agencies to identify them in illegal wildlife trade has made this illicit activity challenging to detect and curb.