印度環(huán)境部長(zhǎng)近日對(duì)《哈利?波特》系列作品公開(kāi)指責(zé)，稱(chēng)該系列作品的風(fēng)靡讓越來(lái)越多的人通過(guò)非法途徑購(gòu)買(mǎi)貓頭鷹，從而導(dǎo)致印度野生貓頭鷹的數(shù)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(dāng)作寵物和信使。該電影2001年在印度上映后在當(dāng)?shù)叵破鹆艘还伞肮?波特”熱潮，民眾紛紛效仿哈利開(kāi)始養(yǎng)貓頭鷹當(dāng)寵物。連城市中產(chǎn)階級(jí)也受到《哈利?波特》的影響對(duì)貓頭鷹產(chǎn)生莫名其妙的迷戀，并且想要購(gòu)買(mǎi)貓頭鷹給自己的孩子當(dāng)禮物。貓頭鷹在印度教的很多吉慶的場(chǎng)合都被當(dāng)作祭祀品，而近年來(lái)，瀕危貓頭鷹頻繁被捕獵、販賣(mài)或獵殺，導(dǎo)致貓頭鷹數(shù)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(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）