Saving owls
Today’s Geo Quiz is about owls: the country we want you to name is home to some 30 species of owl. Some owls are used by practitioners of sorcery, or �black magic� but the country’s environment minister has identified another problem. He’s blaming fans of Harry Potter for fueling the illegal trade.
Today’s Geo Quiz is about owls: the country we want you to name is home to some 30 species of owl. And many of those species are under threat from an illegal trade in the wild birds.
Some owls are used by practitioners of sorcery, or �black magic� but the country’s environment minister has identified another problem. He’s blaming fans of Harry Potter for fueling the illegal trade.
Apparently, some parents in this country are buying owls for their children, as gifts at Harry Potter-themed birthday parties. Harry’s snowy owl, Hedwig, would be alarmed.
So, can you name the country where a government minister is pointing an accusatory finger at the boy wizard?
Geo Answer:
The answer is India, where Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is blaming fans of Harry Potter for their role in endangering India’s wild owl population. Anchor Lisa Mullins finds out more from Samir Sinha, the head of Traffic International, a wildlife trade monitoring network.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.