Harry Potter Fans Buy Pet Owls To Be More Like Their Favorite Star

by Michael Parrish DuDell August 27, 2009
Categories: Animals.

hedwig_1468450c

After you saw Kill Bill did you go out and buy a sword? No? Then why buy a dang owl!

Harry Potter fans (and their parents) are taking things just a little too far by going out and buying Snowy Owls to be more like their favorite protagonist. Owls, however, are tough to take care of and after pet-owners realize this, they very often abandon their new animal friend.

So many owls have been abandoned, in fact, that an animal sanctuary has opened on the Isle of Wight in the U.K.

Animal expert and founder of Newport Owl and Monkey Sanctuary says:

“They might look great in the Harry Potter films, but it takes years to train them. Children read the books and see the films and say to their mums and dads they want one and parents don’t realise how much care it takes to look after them.”

We agree!

So listen, it’s totally cool if you LOVE Harry, but maybe chill out on the whole buying owls thing.

via: telegraph.co.uk

Stephanie

Spelling error! It’s “buy a dang owl” not “by a dang owl”. Otherwise, I agree with this post.
Michael Parrish DuDell

Thanks Steph!
pierre

seriously, who gets their kid an owl.
Erica

I’ve was never one of those spoiled children. The Lion King- ooh, mommy, can we get a lion cub? Finding Nemo- I want a fishy! Nope, none of that. I never fell for ANY product placement, and that includes animals. I always made up my own decision regarding pets. When I was eight, I fell for reptiles, so I bought three geckos, one after another. They all escaped/died, and then I pretty much gave up. Until I was nine, and I wanted nothing more than my own German Shepherd puppy. I still have that dog, six years later, and she is my dearest friend.
So even though owls are beautiful owls, they belong in the wild, or at least in a place where professionals can tend to them.
Although, I am curious as to where these kids are getting snowy owls?
http://www.easyvegan.info kelly g.

“After you saw Kill Bill did you go out and buy a sword? No? Then why buy a dang owl!”

Heh, actually, a lot of people did; just Google “Kill Bill sword” and you’ll find a ton of replicas. I thought about buying one to hang over my fireplace, but went in another decorating direction

Of course, I’m 31; parents shouldn’t buy their kids swords *or* owls.

Too bad JK Rowling didn’t have the foresight to use (or, better yet, dream up!) a mythical creature instead of a real animal. Wizards can create unicorn-pterosaur hybrids, right?
s

i read all the harry potter books, but it never occured to me to want an owl. these two things strike me as very sad–
a. all these owls getting abandoned
b. parents buying their kids owls. is there nothing geekier? besides a kill bill sword, obviously.
Inga Ambrosia

Programming in film is a powerful tool. “Mindless sheep” … no offense to sheep, actually I’m sure sheep are smarter, they don’t waste money.
http://RawfoodsRetreat.com erin raw foods

Ok I must admit I bought a Kill Bill Sword since I had the costume, dressed up for her as Halloween and won a contest

BUT I think it’s ridiculous to buy an owl! They shouldn’t have ab(used) a real one in the film either! They could have had some kick ass digital one that talked or something… All so sad.

And I never fell for those fads as a kid either. I did like reptiles though but never bought one and set my brother’s turtle free….

E
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9FD18926170ED901&search_query=earthlings Whoever…

I hate harry potter and always will!! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it
This only makes me hate it even more

Okay, enough with the hatred thing…

Seriously, I believe it’s absolutely ridiculous that (stupid) parents would indulge their (stupid) kids with such a ‘pet’!

Oh well, maybe if an owl rips their eyes out (do owls do that? well in this case they should!) they’ll stop buying them…

Ridiculous, as only humans can be!
Erica

Kelly G., why would JK Rowling forsee this abandonment? She was a struggling writer. she had no idea her novel would even take off, let alone make it to film.
Stop blaming the writer!
VeggieTart

The parents who bought their kids clown fish after watching “Finding Nemo” with the kids completely missed the point, didn’t they? Completely glossed over the fish aren’t meant to live in a box line.

And idiot parents got dalmatians for their kids after seeing the Disney flicks completely oblivious to the fact that dalmatians are stubborn dogs who don’t listen well and are hard to train. I’ve met a few; I know what stubborn (and sometimes stupid) dogs they are.

Kids want an owl and probably Harry Potter’s magical powers, and parents are dumb enough to go try to find a snowy owl or whatever the fashionable animal of the moment is.

It’s one thing to get a sword or a costume–you can get rid of those with few qualms. But a living creature is not a toy, and I wish kids and their parents would get it through their thick skulls.
Erica

Sometimes I think the parents want the owl more than the kids do.
I seriously doubt the kids are saying, “Mom, I really, really want an owl, and if I don’t get one I’m going to die.”
I think they’re just like, “Cool owl. I wish I had one.”
I mean, sort of how I’d like to live by the ocean and have a pet dolphin that could speak English, but that’s not going to happen.
I think the parents just buy animals and electronics to prove their wealth.
krissy

When your kids say they want to keep a wild animal just take them to the zoo.