12/19/18 Let's Put a Stop to Hurting People and Animals
Petition against firecrackers was initiated at the beginning of the year and is still available to sign
- Changes requested in the Explosive Substances Act: cities and municipalities demand a full firecrackers ban
It is the time of the year when guardians of dogs and cats are, in fear of firecrackers, exchanging advices on how to survive this most difficult period of the year with minimum negative consequences for their companion animals. Everyone already knows that, apart from physical injuries, firecrackers cause high stress and psychological shock to companion and wild animals, which in many cases leads to death from a heart attack. Due to their more sensitive hearing, animals experience the noise from pyrotechnical substances as loud, unexpected and painful. The end of December and the beginning of January are also the times of increased reports on missing companion animals that, in panic and terror from noise that firecrackers produce, wander off from their homes. Children also regularly injure their fists, eyes or ears, although the law prohibits them of using pyrotechnical substances without supervision.
A media conference, regarding a petition for banning firecrackers and other noisy pyrotechnical substances throughout the entire year, was held at the beginning of the year. Doctor Dražen Majetić from Veterinarian Clinic for Small Animals Feliks Virovitica and Ivica Kirin, the Interior Minister of Virovitica, participated in the conference, asking for permission of local communities to protect their citizens. Animal Friends welcomed the initiative by citizens of Virovitica and invited everybody to sign the petition.
Luka Oman, the president of Animal Friends, warns us that we should all put health of people and animals, instead of profit of those who are selling firecrackers while not caring for others, as a priority. Because of numerous reactions of citizens, animal protection associations, war veterans, veterinarians and other groups, he emphasizes: “It makes no sense that this harmful activity, prohibited with good reasons during the entire year, is allowed by law for six days. We are appealing to Ministry of the Interior to quickly start changing the Explosive Substances Act which will ban the use of pyrotechnical substances categorized as F2 and F3 during the entire year, or at least bring in a regulation which allows cities and municipalities to make such a decision, in order to provide a peaceful and calm environment for their citizens and pets during the holidays.”
After holidays, cities are full of ugly scenes of used firecrackers throughout the streets, parks and children playgrounds, which is one more reason for a ban. Firecrackers are also a major cause of environmental pollution and bird deaths which is the reason why, for example, the Supreme Court of India prohibited the sale and use of firecrackers during this year’s Hindu festival Diwali.
Animal Friends advise citizens not to let their companion animals outside of the house during holidays, to provide them a calm place in the house in which animals will feel protected, play them calming music that will be slightly louder than firecrackers and, in case of necessity, provide a calming medicine fabricated for animals. If companion animals spend their time outdoors, guardians should at least try to put them in garage in order to avoid their animals jumping over the fence and running away when they are terrified by the sound of firecrackers.
Animal Friends invite everybody to sign the petition for ban of firecrackers because we feel we can have fun without creating a war atmosphere and putting children and animals at risk.