owls are used in black magics and other such rituals. lots of eagle owls and barn owls are caught and sold at rates reaching as high as 3-4 lakhs for such purposes
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owls are used in black magics and other such rituals. lots of eagle owls and barn owls are caught and sold at rates reaching as high as 3-4 lakhs for such purposes
Don't know whether you've heard about Girish Jathar. He's done a PhD on spotted owlets, and is working to save owls from meeting the fate you mentioned.
what beautiful pictures.... I esp like the first one 'spotted owlets'... :-)
Yes they are captured & sold for huge amounts, and the different species fetch different prices.. it is the near-extinct status of these creatures that make them so attractive to poachers and buyers alike and ofcourse the still prevalent practice of black magic is a reason too....
Many people look at these with a certain amount of fear..and all varieties of owls are considered inauspicious... strange..considering the owl is supposed to be the "Wahan" for the goddess of wealth... :-) and in many countries the owl is looked upon as a very WISE creature....
does this mean that wisdom and wealth are inauspicious....??? :-)
Are there are any forums or groups that are working towards saving this abs beautiful creatures.... ??? Havnt heard of any...
That is a good collage of owls. You can post them individually for critiquing. Can you please elaborate on the current scenario as well as what we can do to save these beautiful species?
Nice collage and thanks for the update.
Apana
Aditya,
I understand your statement about owls. It is unfortunate that they are persecuted at the hands of man. I am also going to ask as Bibhav has asked, what next?
Can you please update us in detail about the threats, possible solutions and most important, what do you expect members to do?
Cheers,
Sabyasachi
yes sir, i know Mr. girish very well, he is right now in ahmedabad only, and we have a talk on phone almost 3-4 times in a weekQuote:
Originally Posted by Abhishek Jamalabad
we must track down the routs of poaching and the whole trade.. for that we need to keep a strict watch on owl movements.. for e.g i know a site in surendranagar district of gujarat where there are 7-8 pairs of eurasian eagle owl breeding from last 10 years. each year chicks hatch grow and go away. but i have not seen any increase in the number of adult breeding pairs.. i dont know where these chicks go???? i wanted to put up a project for ringing and tracking such chicks.. but i dont know where can i ask for funding...
Good to know you're working with Mr. Girish...:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya Roy
Please don't call me "sir". I'm only 18. :D
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has given a call to launch a massive public awareness campaign to protect and save birds.
Releasing TRAFFIC India's report entitled "Imperilled Custodians of the Night", a study on Illegal trade, trapping and use of owl in India here, the Minister on Tuesday said that owl is highly endangered species now.
He said that maximum killings of owls take place during Diwali in the name of black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos.
The Minister informed India is natural habitat for about 30 species. There is a great threat to many bird species. Large number of communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh are involved in illegal trade of owls which is used for Tantric practices
Ramesh said this report would sensitize masses on an important issue.
On this occasion, Ramesh also said that his ministry would closely examine the recommendations made in the report to take strict actions under Wildlife Protection Act.
Hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India. While the exact number of owls traded each year countrywide is unknown, it certainly runs into thousands of individuals and there are anecdotal reports of owls becoming rare throughout India due to loss of suitable habitat especially old growth forests Owls play beneficial and vital role in the ecosystem, particularly to farmers through their predation of rodents and other crop pests.
Shaman or black magic practitioners frequently referred to as tantriks in India, prescribe the use of owls and their body parts such as skull, feathers, ear tuffs, claws, heart, liver, kidney, blood, eyes, fat, beak, tears, eggshells, meat and bones for ceremonial pujas and rituals.
Of the 30 owl species recorded from India, 15 have been recorded by this study in the domestic live bird trade. Owl species most highly sought after by traders are large species, especially those with false "ear-tufts" which are thought to bestow greater magical properties on the birds.
The TRAFFIC investigation has found that besides black magic, owls are trapped and traded for use in street performances; killed for taxidermy and for their meat; their parts are used in folk medicines; even their claws and feathers are sometimes used in headgear. Live owls are also used as decoys to catch other bird species.
TRAFFIC's investigations recorded 15 owl species in trade including Spotted Owlet, Barn Owl, Rock-Eagle Owl, Jungle Owlet, Collared Scops-owl, Brown Fish-owl, Dusky Eagle-owl, Mottled Wood-owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Collared Owlet, Brown Wood-owl, Oriental Scops-owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-owl, Tawny Fish-owl and the Eastern Grass-owl.
The investigations into the owl trade were conducted during nationwide studies of the bird trade undertaken between1992-2000 with additional information gathered between 2001 and 2008.
The prime investigator and author of the report is ornithologist Mr Abrar Ahmed.
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network is a joint programme of WWF, the global conservation organization and IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. (ANI)
http://sify.com/news/jairam-ramesh-g...cukeefcij.html