Owl Trainer
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Contents
Overview
It is rare to go a day without seeing an owl. From watching them fly back and forth delivering mail to seeing them as beloved pets to many, their role in the wizarding world is irreplaceable. Their lovable, stoic, and obedient personalities are what make them so desirable, especially as mail owls that can seemingly find anyone. However, they are not born with such an ability; they must be trained so that they can fully harness their skills.
Owl trainers have the important role of taking clumsy young owlets and turning them into the graceful animals seen around Hogsworth and the wizarding world. While it may not seem like such a difficult job from an outside view, it takes years of apprenticeship before wizards are deemed fit to train owls on their own. Considering how many wizards around the world depend on owls, providing these animals with a formative education in their early years is absolutely crucial.
Requirements
The most essential quality needed to become an owl trainer is passion. Learning the process of training and adjusting to each owl’s individual needs can be a challenge and quite frustrating; many wizards have found themselves throwing in the towel only a few months into their apprenticeship. Just being able to persevere and stick with it is already an impressive feat, and an eager, less educated wizard will surely do better than an apathetic, knowledgeable one.
With that being said, having solid grades in Magical Creature Studies, Magical Geography, and Wizarding Law is very helpful, as they will give budding owl trainers an advantage over those who do not. Since owls may have to fly for long periods of time, it is important for owl trainers to understand the potential dangers and obstacles an owl may face. Magical creatures might attack the owl, or the owl may be bogged down by rain or snow. Plus, trainers must make sure they are always following the laws set in place to ensure a safe and effective environment for their owls.
Once a wizard has been accepted as an apprentice, they spend the next few years shadowing a master owl trainer, learning their strategies and tactics. At first, the apprentice is tasked with simple chores, such as cleaning the owls’ living spaces and feeding them. After all, the most important aspect of owl training is making sure the owls are comfortable and well-taken care of; there is no point if the owls are not healthy and willing to learn.
As the apprentice becomes more experienced, they are given permission to independently train their first owl. Typically, this owl becomes the apprentice’s pet, as they have built an unbreakable bond with the animal. Once the first owl’s training is complete, the apprentice can slowly work their way up to training more owls at the same time. When they have shown a full understanding of owl training, they may either continue working at the same location or leave to work somewhere else.
Considering the number of owls there are, there is always a need for more owl trainers. It can be a long and arduous process, but almost all owl trainers will say it is well worth the effort.
Training Process
A few weeks after they hatch, owlets are tested to see which ones exhibit a greater talent for memory and navigation. About one in every five owlets are chosen, while the rest are sent to Unmagical pet shops, forests, or zoos.
The owlets that pass this test are taken to an owl trainer, who teaches these young owls everything they need to know. They are typically trained for six months before they are deemed ready, though this can vary for each owl trainer and owl.
There are many different methods of preparing owls for the wizarding world. Some trainers wait until fledgling owls learn to fly before they start the training process, while others begin as soon as they receive the owlets. While each trainer will, of course, argue that their tactic is the most successful, there has been no real proof that starting earlier or later in an owl’s life makes any significant difference; as long as the owl is still relatively young, training seems to be similarly effective.
Luckily, these young owls already have an enhanced baseline understanding of navigation, so an owl trainer’s duty is simply maximising their full potential. Throughout their training, owls are repeatedly cast with a spell called Noctua Vestige. This spell helps owls tap into their inner compasses, letting them find anyone, no matter the location. Noctua Vestige was specifically created for magical owls and is completely safe and harmless. It is typically cast on an owl once a month until they are an adult.
An owl’s training starts with simple tasks, such as delivering a letter across the street or a few blocks away. As the owl continues to learn and develop its skills, the distance of deliveries and the size of packages increases. At the end of its training, an owl can theoretically deliver mail to anyone, whether they are halfway across the world, deep underground, or in a completely unknown location. However, there are some concealment enchantments that not even magical owls can breach, though these are only used by wizards with something very sinister to hide.
Of course, an owl’s ability to seek out anyone is not the only thing they must know. Delivery journeys can range from a few hours to potentially even months. These owls must be skilled hunters so that they can feed and remain healthy during their trips. It is also important that the owls know how to defend themselves, as some deliveries may take them into dangerous territories with hostile creatures. It is an owl trainer’s duty to ensure their owls can adequately protect themselves under these circumstances; thus, once the owls are almost adults, they are sent through risky areas to develop these skills. However, they are constantly monitored during this phase so that they can be quickly rescued if anything goes wrong.
Once an owl has shown complete competency in all of these factors, they have “graduated” from their training and is given to magical pet shops or post offices. Other places, such as newspaper businesses and magical schools, also utilise owls to quickly send out important information.
Notable Figures
Vernik Gylling (1345 - 1382)
One of the first owl trainers who popularised the career, Vernik, is also widely believed to have developed Noctua Vestige, though this is an often contested claim. Regardless, Vernik was the first trainer to document his methods, including his use of the spell. To this day, many owl trainers utilise the strategies found in Vernik’s book, Uggeltränarens Kompendium (The Owl Trainer’s Compendium). He opted for a monthly schedule, where he would introduce a new factor of training to the owls each month. Vernik also owned quite a few owls, including a 17-year-old owl named Etta, whom he wrote very fondly of in his book.
Katrijn Claussen (1651 - 1723)
Katrijn always attributed her old age to the owls that she trained. Whether it was just the insane ramblings of someone who spent all their time with owls or the wise words of a woman with a deeper understanding of the animals she cared for, no one knows for sure. However, most documents from that time make one thing clear: Katrijn’s owls seemed more obedient and could navigate better than most. An investigation into her methods revealed that she was extremely strict with the animals, treating them as if she were an army general. However, she still made sure they were healthy, and it was obvious she truly loved the owls despite her surprisingly harsh tactics. To this day, most use Katrijn as an example of what not to do when training owls, though some try to replicate her strategies (with little success).
Leone Marciano (1873 - 1958)
Widely considered the choice of “owl snobs”, Leone rose to fame when an article was written about him that highlighted his eccentric method of training. Leone seemed to consider owls as people; he would feed them extravagant meals and give them all their own rooms to sleep in each night. This seemed to result in well-trained owls, though the article claimed the animals were rather pompous. Still, this did not stop the cult-like following Leone gained after the article was published; wealthy wizards flocked to adopt owls that had been trained by him. Even today, some will argue that those who do not like Leone are not real owl lovers.
Trivia
- You can learn about Owl Trainers and other careers in Magical Career Exploration classes taught by the Academics team.
- Trained owls can be found in Hogsworth’s Owlery.
