Can people really have owls for pets?
In the magical world of Harry Potter, a wizard or witch can own a real owl. In the real world, in England, people are allowed to keep owls provided the bird can be shown to be captive bred or found disabled and unable to be returned to the wild–in order to show owls for money or to breed them for sale, people in the U.K. need to have what is known as an “Article 10 certificate,” which functions much as a licence for the bird. In the U.S., keeping owls for pets is always against the law. In the U.S., owls and all other native birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and cannot be possessed by anyone who doesn’t have legal permits for research or education, or in the case of an injured owl, legal rehabilitation permits. I have permits to keep one Eastern Screech-Owl for education. I first needed to prove that I have a good reason to use an owl for educational programs, and that I could provide healthy, safe, and comfortable housing and good food, in order to apply for a per
