印度環境部長近日對《哈利?波特》系列作品公開指責，稱該系列作品的風靡讓越來越多的人通過非法途徑購買貓頭鷹，從而導致印度野生貓頭鷹的數量日漸減少。在《哈利?波特》電影中，主角哈利?波特有一只名為“海德薇”的白色貓頭鷹當作寵物和信使。該電影2001年在印度上映后在當地掀起了一股“哈利?波特”熱潮，民眾紛紛效仿哈利開始養貓頭鷹當寵物。連城市中產階級也受到《哈利?波特》的影響對貓頭鷹產生莫名其妙的迷戀，并且想要購買貓頭鷹給自己的孩子當禮物。貓頭鷹在印度教的很多吉慶的場合都被當作祭祀品，而近年來，瀕危貓頭鷹頻繁被捕獵、販賣或獵殺，導致貓頭鷹數量急劇下降。

Harry Potter with his snowy owl.

Harry Potter has been blamed for the dwindling number of wild owls in India, according to the country’s Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh.

Mr Ramesh said the craze for Harry Potter in India had led to an increase in people buying owls from illegal bird traders.

"Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls," Mr Ramesh told the BBC.

A report by conservation group Traffic suggested tough measures should be put in place to protect owls from an upcoming Hindu festival – Diwali - because thousands of owls are sacrificed on Hindu "auspicious occasions".

The author of the report, Abrar Ahmed, decided to investigate the owl trade after being asked to get a white owl for a boy's Harry Potter-themed 10th birthday.

"This was probably one of the strangest demands made to me as an ornithologist," he wrote.

Mr Ahmed found that endangered owls are being caught, traded or sacrificed in black magic rituals, while others are killed for medicine.

"The sacrifice of owls on auspicious occasions appears to be a regular practice and [there could be] a possible increase in trade and sacrifices around Diwali," the Imperilled Custodians of the Night report says.

Harry Potter publishers Bloomsbury declined to comment on the BBC report.

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）