Please Enjoy This Photo of Salma Hayek Hanging Out With an Owl
Noted animal lover Salma Hayek has a new friend, and that friend is an owl. On Friday, while everyone else was preparing to head out of town and/or log off for the holiday weekend, Hayek posted an Instagram, a series of three images in which she can be seen hanging out with a tiny owlette pal. Hayek looks like she’s having a grand old time; her owl friend, well, it’s not quite so easy to read bird expressions but let’s say he’s also enjoying himself.
In the first image, Hayek cradles him in her arms and kisses the top of his head. The bird’s beak is open, his eyes wide, one wing slightly outstretched. “I love him so much! Lo amo tanto!” she captioned. In the second, she gazes lovingly into his eyes as he perches on her arm. He stares right back. In the last image, he sits on her shoulder and peers into the camera, while Hayek looks off to one side. They’re sitting on what appears to be a floor rug folded over itself (perhaps to avoid owl pellets on the carpet?) and Hayek wears a blue-and-white striped t-shirt with light-washed jeans.
The post immediately prompted speculation that Hayek, who already possesses a whole menagerie of animals including dogs, parrots, rabbits, and llamas (and various other sundry farm animals), had adopted the small owl. It is only kind of legal—in the U.K., per Pet Helpful, a person may own an owl, but in the United States, snowy owls and other native species are covered under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. That doesn’t mean you can’t own an owl—it just can’t be a native species. (I am no owl expert and do not know what species Hayek’s owl is.) The comments are filled with users chiming in that owls are better suited for the wild than captivity—which is true—as well as the odd designer, like Alessandro Michele and Zac Posen, adding emojis of support.
Owls aren’t especially good pets, but Salma Hayek is far from a starter pet owner so she’s probably fine, really. She’s been known to take a particular interest in rescue animals; maybe it’s an owl in need! Also, she might not even own the owl. It might just be a new friend.
