Evanna Lynch Joins PETA Lawsuit Against Owl Experimentation

Anyone who follows Evanna Lynch closely knows that her activism and love for animals is one of the countless ways she continues to give back to our world after her portrayal of Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. She has recently joined People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit challenging deadly brain experiments on owls at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). We understand that reading about certain experiments on animals is sensitive to many, so please do what is best for you.

Earlier this month, PETA along with Lynch, a senior student at JHU, and a former Maryland secretary of health began the lawsuit as “next friends” to the birds who are mutilated and killed in experiments at JHU. These animals are barred from protection under the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) due to a 2002 amendment drafted by Senator Jesse Helms that excludes rats, mice, and owls used for laboratory research. This lawsuit, which has been filed against two United States Department of Agriculture officers responsible for enforcing the AWA, looks to abolish this amendment.

Lynch previously wrote a letter to JHU calling for an end to these experimentations. She talks about her respect and love for owls from her time in the Harry Potter films and reasons that there is no ethical justification for any of the experiments. Lynch calls for the shutdown of this laboratory immediately.

If this lawsuit is successful, it will lead to greater protection for millions of birds, mice, and countless other animals used in experiments across the country. This isn’t Lynch’s first time participating in monumental change, and we expect it won’t be the last. She continues to make Luna Lovegood proud with her empathy and love for all creatures – magical or not.