LAHORE: A recent amendment to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), criminalising sorcery and black magic, may help save owls which are viewed as a bad omen associated with evil and darkness in local folklore and its body parts are used in black magic rites, making it a sought-after bird, endangering its population.

In September, 2025, an amendment in the PPC through Section 297-A, criminalised sorcery, fake faith-healing and black magic with penalties up to 7-year imprisonment and fine up to Rs1 million. Its strict enforcement may curb “Baba” networks thriving via social media and roadside ads. Such rings often evade crackdowns through bribes or relocation.

In Urdu slang, “ullu” (owl) is a pejorative implying stupidity or foolishness, reinforcing the bird’s negative cultural image. These beliefs persist in rural areas and among older generations.

Superstitions link owls to shape-shifting spirits, while sometimes the bird is seen as their earthly manifestations or vessels for evil. This association amplifies fear, as these spirits are believed to cause illness, possession or calamity.

Owls are frequently used in black magic practices in Pakistan, driven by the belief that their body parts possess potent supernatural powers. Black magicians exploit these superstitions by using owl components in different rites to purportedly resolve personal crises like infertility, marital discord, business failures, or to take revenge from someone. Common uses include blood written into spells or amulets to win someone’s love, or to cast a an evil spell, to “bind” someone’s will.

Some “magicians” believe that owl’s blood has the ability to invoke dark forces, while the bird’s eyes, beak and bones are ground into powder, which is supposed to protect against evil eye (nazar) or to enhance occult potency. An entire owl carcass is also “sacrificed” in elaborate ceremonies, while it is also buried or burnt in rites, often combined with other “essentials” like snake skin or wild boar bones. The “black magicians” often display owl’s images or the bird itself at their “workplaces” to lure clients and charge heft sums from them.

For these reasons the demand for the bird is so high that zoos, taxidermists and black markets in cities like Lahore report constant inquiries, primarily from women, seeking remedies for domestic issues.

This trade encourages owl poaching, while the wildlife laws in provinces like Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lack specific protections for owls, creating loopholes for hunters. Conservationists note that species like the Indian eagle-owl are declining partly due to such practices. Education and awareness campaigns by wildlife NGOs aim to debunk these myths, emphasising owls’ ecological role as pest controllers. Urban youth are increasingly dismissive of such superstitions, viewing them as outdated, but in conservative or rural pockets, the stigma endures.

Deputy Chief Wildlife Rangers Dr Ghulam Rasool told Dawn that Punjab Wildlife Department keeps an eye on the magicians using owls and their body parts in rites and take necessary action against them when required.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2025