–The illogical & illegal side of Sacrificing owls during Diwali

“I don’t understand the logic behind stealing the “Vahana” of Goddess Lakshmi and then kill it so that the goddess of wealth will shower you with gold coins. The goddess must be the first ones to get mad if you kill its Vahana-the Uluka (owl)” were the words of Late Shri Ashok Kumar (Founder & Trustee, WTI) on wildlife trade of owls in India. Instrumental in curbing illegal wildlife trade in India, he was never short of words of wisdom when it came to wildlife crime and how to connect it with the common man.   His rule was simple, fight illogical myth with cold logic wrapped in humour.

Its Diwali time and even as you read this, illegal trade in owls persists in covert markets across India as many people still believe that sacrificing an owl will please Goddess Lakshmi to shower them with wealth. This malpractice is age old but still persists, restricted to only certain pockets in the country as the wildlife law enforcement has “tightened its talons” around this illegal trade.

“Earlier owl trade was abundant in old Dehli markets where the consignments used to come from Uttarakhand (erstwhile Uttar Pradesh) and Himachal Pradesh via road by interstate buses especially during the Diwali season. Now with increased awareness and enforcement by authorities, the trade has ceased in this area. Most of the trade is now happening in UP and here (Delhi) no one wants to get in trouble” said a contact who used to be a trade operative in Delhi’s infamous ‘kabootar Gali of Old Delhi ‘on phone.

Etymology:  Vahana (a Sanskrit word: meaning “mount” or “vehicle”, or “carrier,”)

Vahanas are celestial mounts of Gods and Goddesses in Indian mythology and iconography, they are the heavenly modes of transport with each God/Goddess having his / her own specific Vahana; often a wild animal or a bird, espousing how beautifully how our culture is entwined with wildlife.

While another contact contradicts this, saying that the trade is still prevalent. In Wildlife Crime Control Division(WCCD), WTI our job is primarily to confirm field intelligence on Illegal wildlife trade which is akin to drug trafficking where lies and deception are part and parcel of the business. We affirm the news, before initiating discrete action with state law enforcement agencies to curb the trade.

Besides north India, this tradition of trading owls is also prevalent in South Indian states. A recent message from a field contact in Karnataka corroborated this where five people were  arrested this month by the Karnataka forest department with an Eagle owl which they were trying to sell for a large sum of money.”

With everyone’s life revolving around social media platforms, even wildlife trade has taken the digital route nowadays. As the suspect shows the ‘package’ via live WhatsApp video calls, our covert operatives are asked to show money on camera to confirm the deal. Gone are the days when images of the poor bushmeat hunter who used to sell few animal products for some petty cash, used to surface from the field. The new age wildlife criminals are much more organized and tech savvy, they have adopted modern tech ways of plying their illegal trade.

Owls are used for traditional black magic rituals known as “vamachara” extending for a few weeks wherein an owl is sacrificed and the body parts are used by the practitioners. It is believed to attract good luck and wealth and is largely practiced in the western part of India. In northern India, some black magic practitioners make gullible people believe that owls being the vahanas of the Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, sacrificing an owl will bestow these on them

It’s unfortunate that despite numerous awareness programmes and law enforcement to curb the trade, owls still get caught and get traded clandestinely. The barn owl (Tyto alba), Indian eagle owl (Bubo Bengalensis) and occasionally the Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonsis) are the ones most in demand by the end-users, undeterred to be on the wrong side of the law, the illegality is ignored since these are quick remedies suggested by tantrics (faith-healers) to get rid of their worries and bring in fortune with fatal consequences for the poor owl.

“There is a need for rehabilitation programs for tribes attached to wild bird trade and rigorous punishment for people involved in owl trade, trapping, and sacrificial rites, especially shamans – the main key players in this practice. Forbidding literature prescribing such owl sacrifices can be done for starters. I hope more young researchers will focus on wildlife trade studies at grass root level to highlight similar trade practices” stressed Abrar Ahmed who had studied the owl trade across India for a TRAFFIC project.

WTI continues to work on curbing this trade, even as you read this, we are tracking credible information on an ongoing WhatsApp conversation of a covert sales pitch in progress.  Once the information is verified it will be passed to enforcement officials to ensure we get to save one more wild life and make sure it goes back to the wild and not sacrificed to superstitions.

The only way to stop the trade is by making people aware of these illegal and cruel practices and also ensuring that the suspects involved are prosecuted under the strictest provisions of the India Wildlife (Protection) Act.

It’s time we all embrace the emblematic qualities that the owl signifies (as the vahana), to observe and imbibe knowledge particularly in the darkness of ignorance. We urge, anyone with information about illegal trade of owls (and even other lesser known species) to get in touch with our team directly by sending an email to wccd@wti.org.in  . We will keep your name anonymous (our guarantee).

The more we work together the more we can stop these sacrifices, which by no means can please gods in any manner!

Jose Louies, the author of this blog post is Chief, Wildlife Crime Control Division, Wildlife Trust of India. A self-trained apiculturist, Jose has a keen interest in snakes and snakebites and also is the founder of www.indiansnakes.org

He can be contacted at jose@wti.org.in