We don’t talk about Salma Hayek much and I haven’t thought about her in a while. The last time we covered her was when she was half defending Hilaria Baldwin. It makes sense that Salma would do that, celebrities cover for each other and try not to talk smack about each other or their spouses. Salma has been posting bikini selfies and she seems self absorbed, but that’s typical of celebrities. They’re surely missing the spotlight like the rest of us miss basic activities. Salma was on The Late Show promoting her new sci-fi movie with Owen Wilson, Bliss, now on Amazon. (It’s not getting good reviews at all.) Salma told Steven Colbert that she has a pet owl after thinking they were cute and wanting one or something. It’s unclear how she obtained said owl, but she made it sound like she looked it up online and applied to rescue one. She said it tries to drink a certain wine she likes and that it stays in her room at night. Since owls are nocturnal, she’ll feel the air move when it flies around. That sounds creepy as hell to me! If you follow Salma on Instagram you probably know about this owl. I follow her but barely pay attention to her posts so it was news to me.
“How many pets do you have?”
In London I have three, two dogs and one owl. [The owl is named] Kerring.“Why do you have an owl?”
I became obsessed with the owls and dreaming about it. I said ‘can people have owls?’ It turns out in London you can, it’s legal. I said ‘are there any owls that need some rescue?’ I started doing some research and sure enough [you can].The showed a photo of the owl with a dead mouse on Salma’s head
Sometimes they bring you gifts that you don’t necessarily know what to do with. She landed on my head [with a dead mouse]. I got her off [my head]. That’s where I draw the line. She does sleep in my room sometimes. I don’t sleep much, but sometimes when I sleep she flies around. I just feel the wind as she passes. Sometimes she lands on my leg, on my head. At the beginning it was scary, but now I’m used to it. She stays with me for a little bit and flies again so she’s free in the room.On feeding the owl
You order [mice] and freeze them. They don’t drink any water. They don’t drink liquids, but there’s one kind of wine when we take it out, we have to cover the cups and she’ll dig in it. It’s not like she thinks it’s blood because the other red wine she doesn’t go for.Her 13-year-old daughter is scared of the owl
She doesn’t like the owl. There’s a lot of people in the house who don’t like the owl. And also she’s very quiet and you don’t know she’s there and she just flies and everybody screams. I love it when they scream. Isn’t it fantastic to see the reaction of people, when they are afraid of something that isn’t going to harm them?
[From The Late Show on YouTube]
I googled “can you adopt an owl” and the answer is “no,” in the US, unless you’re specially trained and licensed to work with owls and are rehabilitating them. There are other exemptions like breeding and falconry, but the way that Salma explained it she decided owls were awesome and so she got one. Here’s a link to a video explaining why owls make bad pets. They’re destructive, they have a killing instinct, they keep you up at night, they can scratch and hurt you, they’re high maintenance and they’re messy. There’s so much you have to go through to feed them and their feathers and poop get all over everything. Salma is in London now. It is legal to have a wild owl as a pet in the UK so she’s not violating any laws. She probably has other people cleaning up after the owl and doing the grunt work. Yes owls are adorable in photos, but I wouldn’t let a damn predatory bird in my house and I especially wouldn’t let it in my bedroom at night! It’s completely reasonable to be afraid of owls.
Here’s that interview:
Photos via Instagram
Is this having an owl thing for publicity? I don’t get why anyone would want an owl.
Why wouldn’t you want an owl? They are like flying cats.
I have no desire for guano to be anywhere in my house.
They are not ‘flying cats’, cats are domesticated animals, owls aren’t, without even adding the bit that you need to feed frozen chicks and mice to them. They clearly don’t use a litter tray either.
Owls are birds of prey and should never, ever be pets. They are not pets in any regard and I have no clue why our country allows this
I worked in a conservation centre in UK and you’ve no idea how many terrified snowy owls we got after many were ‘adopted’ as pets due to Harry Potter becoming a sensation.
@Alpine, we humans really don’t deserve pets… Conversely we could ask, what did poor animals do to deserve humans?
Two words: Harry Potter. Much like the rise in clown fish sales after Finding Nemo hit the screens, interest in owls as pets soared when the first HP movies were released.
Doesnt sound right. These animals should be put back in the wild or in a safe place that lets them be what they are as closely as possible to their natural habitat. I’m shocked we’re still talking about people getting wild animals. But salma has mote means than us maybe that room is bigger than our houses with trees and live mice and stuff :s
I agree. Let wild animals live in a natural habitat.
I agree. It’s cruel to treat wild animals this way. But Hayek had a “pet” tiger growing up, so she obviously wasn’t raised to have any respect for wild animals.
And this is the woman who said how disheartening it is for her private chef to hear her kids want different kinds of pizzas. Salma has her head up her own @ss and clearly is not in touch with the real word. So the life of a wild owl probably means nothing to her.
I would flipping LOVE an owl, but owls are not pets! I love them too much to do that to them.
owls are my favorite birds, however i would not want one as a pet. they are birds of prey and should be free.
Mine too RB, well…one of them. And I agree. But owls is so adorable I can see being sucked in to have one as a pet.
there are so many cute videos of them out there too.
Yes, but I do agree they need to be out in the wild so they can fly. That poor creature is limited to the house. I am sure they have a huge house but it’s not the same as flying free over trees.
My spirit animal is our (Australian) Barking Owl. It’s a gorgeous bird and really does bark like a little dog! I would never want to keep one as a pet, though. They are wild animals and just because you are rich enough to think that entitles you to own one, doesn’t mean it’s ok. The more I hear about Ms Hayek, the more I think she’s an idiot.
My Persian cat has gold eyes and looks just like an owl. She’s so cute.
If this is a genuine ‘rescue’ situation and she’s had proper training and guidance then great.
However, can we stop with celebrities and ‘exotic’ animals in their homes as it sends a terrible message and I can’t help but be suspicious that this isn’t an idea living environment for this animal (though that’s purely an assumption).
Totally agree. Especially her answer to the how many pets question: “In London, I have…”
If you have to specify which house your pets live in, they’re not really pets, are they? They’re more like your household staff’s pets.
There’s an owl that sits on my roof at night and hoots. I’m already a terrible sleeper so the owl and I have gotten to know one another. I have Native ancestry and keep meaning to ask one of my elders if there is any significance to this owl. We live in the middle of suburban sprawl, so it’s very strange. Lol
Oh that is interesting!! You should ask! It could be one of your ancestors! (I’m not of native ancestry but 💯 believe in that stuff!)
There’s an owl that lives on my roof in the middle of Hollywood. I love hearing it so much. It’s so comforting to me for some reason. Once I saw it swoop down and grab a bird in its claws, and then it went WHOOSH about 5 inches above my head.
People owning wild animals as pets is wrong on so many levels. Genuine rescue and rehabilitation is wonderful, but this situation just sounds wrong. If the owl can’t be released I hope there is some outdoor enclosure for it so it’s not stuck indoors all the time.
+10000000
Completely agree and it makes me so angry when celebrities promote things like this because it just makes people want one themselves even more.
I don’t care if it’s legal in the U.K and if it’s a genuine rescue bird – what she is doing is selfish and irresponsible.
I don’t like Salma Hayek and she ruined herself forever for me with the way she spoke to Jessica Williams. But this is yet another low for her.
The only thing that comes to my mind is the owl shitting all over the place 😖i
That goes through my mind anytime I think about someone owning any pet bird. Also, celebrities are freaking insane. Like ALL of them.
Yes! That was my first thought-so her bedroom is covered in bird poop? How pleasant.
In my country it is illegal to have an animal/bird that is supposed to live in wilderness as a pet. You have to obtain a special lisence to do so.
As it should be. I wish the US had stricter rules on owning wild animals. Shit like Tiger King should not be a thing.
She lost me when she said she had never had plastic surgery and was “praying” for bigger boobs when she was young.
Many are still convinced her boobs are natural though. You just have to search her early HW pics to know the truth. You don’t suddenly grow 5X in that area of your body after turning 25 or whatever it was.
Owls are not meant to be pets-I’m sure she has the resources to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible, but still. Not what you want flying around the house.
I once dreamed I had a pet owl and was forcing my husband to take a picture with him. “Who’s my good little Apex Predator?” In my dream, my husband was yelling, “This thing is going to eat my face, HufflepuffLizLemon!” It was so real that I woke up and grabbed my phone to show him the pictures.
I am a bit taken aback that she loves when others are scared by the owl. She likes when others scream, including her child? That’s… something else.
Child abuse?
Maybe. Or she may be referring to one single time and it was funny in some way. Who knows? I’m not going to label her an abuser based on this alone, but it’s very odd for a parent to enjoy scaring her child repeatedly. Harmless pranks and Halloween notwithstanding, it says a lot about someone’s character if they take joy in someone else’s terror. Especially when animals are involved.
I thought that sounded pretty bad. Just because you’re not afraid, don’t belittle someone who is. It might not be abuse, but I think it’s mean.
Right and who keeps an animal in the house that terrifies their child? She’s nuts.
It’s completely reasonable to fear a bird of prey! It’s an a$$hole move to keep an owl when there are people in your house that legitimately fear it! It’s not cute or funny, in my opinion.
But wait, is she still married, right? Do she and her husband sleep in separate rooms? I guess if you are rolling in cash you can put much space and many workers between yourself and your spouse’s cray-cray pet situation.
I think they might spent a lot of time apart. Her comments about her husband not wanting her to retire after having her baby were kind of weird. Personally I would totally keep working but her husband seemed not to respect her wishes to spend more time with their daughter and him.
Pinault seems weird and I’ve thought he was shady ever since the child support stuff with Linda Evangelista.
Salma’s IG post for International Men’s Day where she was gushing about “sharing her life with such an extraordinary man – you are our strength, you are our inspiration, you are our home” seemed like it was trying way too hard honestly.
She likes owls so she could use her celebrity and money to fund rescue but instead just uses privilege to keep an owl indoors as a pet. Not impressed at all.
@Equality that’s exactly what I was thinking.
Exactly, she could have used her money to sponsor one of those in the conservation centres too, like the World Owl Centre in UK.
I didn’t think she was this mean and dumb.
100%
Best comment, equality
That immediately made me think of the staircase murder and the owl theroy. Owls are actually very dangerous and they aren’t pets.
I’d never heard of this, so weird!!
Also pretty much you aren’t supposed to kiss/pet birds in the back as it’s sexual for them.
When I was a kid in the 70’s it wasn’t illegal to have wild animals as pets (in the US), many people had spider monkeys. I saw a wallaby bouncing across the road one day, it had escaped. I thought it was a baby kangaroo.
Anyway, I begged my parents for an owl or a monkey. I never got one. Totally uncool parents. LOL If it weren’t illegal now I’d probably at least have an owl. I am surrounded by them in the trees at night, I go to sleep listening to them screech and hoot, which is probably much better than having to clean up after one.
Farley Mowat wrote a wonderful book “Owls in the Family” about the owls he had as a child, one rescued and one pilfered as I recall. He was an amazing writer. His serious work rocks your soul and the funny ones make you laugh forever. Anyone who has ever wished for an owl should read it!
I think she does exaggerate a lot for the late show interviews, but it always makes for a really fun anecdote. She rescues a lot of stray dogs, so I’d bet it’s also a rescued owl it’s like an estate they have in London and not an apartment.
An owl is not a dog. Our rescue centres in UK are full of owls returned by owners who couldn’t properly care for them.
Just because its legal doesn’t mean its right.
The owl should be at a proper rescue, or in the very least an outdoor enclosure, and not in her bedroom.
My first thought was does she wake up covered in bird poop every morning?
I’m assuming that she sleeps alone.
Owls are so cute but shouldn’t be kept as a pet.
Wildlife trafficking is a huge issue all around the world. She should not share this stuff; she has millions of followers on IG, some of whom now have this idea they’d like to have an owl for a pet. This is sparking off suffering for innocent animals. Otters for example are no increasingly victims of the wildlife trade because people want them as pets. Otters are cute, charismatic, and photogenic creatures and you’ve got a lot of people who’ve bought or more positively, rescued orphaned otters and turned it into an IG or YT project.
Dogs, cats, and a few other animals make excellent pets because they have been genetically adapted over thousands of generations to thrive with humans. Other animals should be left alone unless they’re rescues or voluntarily want to be there – e.g. Stewie the Groundhog.
Ever since she married Pinault she’s gone off the deep end.
But I mean, that much wealth can make any stupid idea you have become reality.
Love birds, including owls, so so so much. Scared of them? Never. But they don’t belong indoors/in cages. Be kind, don’t “adopt” birds.
We’ve had owls, not in the house they lived in the barn and were pretty laid back with people they recognized and one actually loved cosying up to my dad , landing on his shoulder and nuzzling his neck when ever he saw him but they were wild animals who just bunked in our barn and they came and went as they pleased not pets.
I scrolled thru the comments and I guess I’m the only one here that remembers a long time ago she said she had a pet tiger and then it got killed by her air conditioner. I never liked nor respected her after that story.