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Our little suburb in Johannesburg, that has a FB page with 987 members, has already posted more than 6 cases of lost/found doggies due to fireworks. And that's just over the last 24 hours. Animals have climbed over walls/fences, injuring themselves, to get out and away from the noises. Many have been found wandering the streets, dodging traffic, totally lost.
More reports seem to be coming in today, to the extent that a lost/found form has been drawn up and will be mailed to the Suburb database of nearly two thousand people to be completed.
If that's just our little suburb, imagine what is going on in the rest of Johannesburg!
We still have tonight and Guy Fawkes to get through and then all animals worst night of the year….New Years Eve.
I was not always against fireworks, I too enjoyed the splendor in the skies, until I heard a story of a friend of mine, who so happens to be involved with animal rescue.
This friend had a big German Shepherd that was absolutely petrified of fireworks. She was out at work and on this one particular day, the fireworks started earlier than usual. She knew that the fireworks would happen in her suburb that evening and took the precaution of placing her doggie inside in case she got home after dark. When she arrived home, at sunset, the worst image as an animal lover was forever engraved on her mind.
Her dog had obviously started panicking as the fireworks bangs started and tried to get out of the house. He resorted to trying to squeeze through her security gate. The problem being that he was too big and his head got stuck. He basically died struggling to get free of the bars on the gate, thereby crushing his windpipe, and that was the image she came home to. She has never forgiven herself for not being able to get home earlier that day.
I literally cried when I heard the story and am more sensitised to how all creatures are affected by Fireworks. Not many people know that Adult birds will fly away from a nest in fright and may not find their nests again. There have been reported cases of nestlings jumping out of the nests trying to get away from the noise.
Only through explaining the impact of Fireworks to people can we put an end to this madness that has consumed our nation and not just during Diwali.
If you must light a firework, please buy the silent ones, they are just as beautiful.
