In a conservation awareness initiative, TRAFFIC and WWF-India have identified 16 species of owls that are commonly trafficked in the illegal wildlife trade in India.
As part of an effort to create awareness about the owl species and help with their identification, TRAFFIC and WWF-India have come out an informative poster ‘Imperilled by illegal wildlife trade: Owls of India’, which is freely available to download.
Of the approximately 250 owl species found worldwide about 36 are found in India. All owl species in India are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making poaching, trade, or any other form of exploitation a punishable offence. They are also listed in Appendix II of CITES, thus tightly regulating their international trade.
Despite the legal restrictions, every year, hundreds of birds are sacrificed for mystic rituals and practices linked with superstition, totems, and taboos.