A Welsh national trust tasked with finding a sustainable future for the Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire has issued a statement politely begging Harry Potter fans to stop leaving trash on the beach for Dobby. Freshwater West is a legally protected conservation area and home to “rare ground-nesting birds.†It was also the filming location for Dobby’s final resting site in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 after the house elf died at the wand of Helena Bonham Carter (we should all be so lucky). In the years following the movie, the fictional character’s grave has become a sort of pilgrimage destination for Harry Potter fans, who leave “tributes†to the computer-generated image voiced by Toby Jones. And by “tributes,†we mean they’re littering on the beach.
“The Trust is asking visitors to only take photos when visiting the memorial to help protect the wider landscape,†reads the statement. “Items like socks, trinkets, and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk.†This wildlife includes large gray seals, harbor porpoises, and seabirds such as razorbills and puffins. Now imagine any of these creatures choking on a Funko Pop collector’s old socks. So how can we get the message across to Harry Potter fans that this is wrong? By speaking their language.
To those mourning Dobby: Think of seabirds as, uh, Hippogriffs. And seals? Basically Nifflers of the sea. And otters! You know otters, right? Because they’re Hermione’s Patronus? You wouldn’t want to see Hermione’s Patronus feed a sock to its baby and watch it die, would you? Be the Hagrid you wish to see in the world. Protect the oceans.