The team behind the Harry Potter studio tour is now accused of mistreating its owls. According to animal rights activists, such birds have highly sensitive eyes and can experience high levels of stress when exposed to camera flashes.
The owls used in the studio tour are reportedly kept in "small cages for long periods" and are forced to carry out "demeaning" tricks. Based on undercover videos, the birds are purportedly seen shaking their heads in alarm.
Such owls are currently used in the "Making of Harry Potter" tour by Warner Bros. in Leavesden, Hertfordshire. In both the books and the movies, Harry Potter owned a pet owl, named Hedwig, that was given to him before entering the school of Hogwarts by gamekeeper Hagrid. Hedwig was tasked to fly into the school to send and deliver Harry's letters.
Upon entering the studio tour, with which an adult ticket costs £33, Potter fans can meet Hedwig and other animals used in the films. The birds have reportedly been highly popular among guests, many of whom have been taking photos of the owls to share online and post on social networking sites.
However, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claims that camera flashes can cause discomfort and even shock among the birds; moreover, trainers who encourage visitors to pet and stroke the owls will only leave the creatures more agitated.
The charity carried out an undercover investigation after obtaining reports and complaints from concerned visitors regarding the studio tour and its use of animals.
As such, the organization responded by asking the team behind the tour to stop using live animals as attractions to guests. In her letter to Warner Bros., PETA's Yvonne Taylor stated that trainers in charge of the tour have been showing "gross negligence" in monitoring the animals and ensuring the safety of the visitors.
Although Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has not made any recent comment about such complaints, she previously advised that owls should not be kept in cages for a long time.
"If anybody has been influenced by my books to think an owl would be happiest shut in a small cage and kept in a house, I would like to say as forcefully as I can, you are wrong," Rowling stated.
According to a Harry Potter tour spokesman, the welfare of the birds is highly important to them and that these creatures used in the tour are "exclusively handled by the experts at Birds & Animals."
Birds & Animals, which owns and trains the owls used in the Harry Potter studio tour, also released an official statement, saying that the birds are given regular breaks and are not exposed to circumstances that will make them upset or terrified. The company also gave its assurance that the animals used in the tour are regularly checked by a vet.
