The most common false arguments for New Year's Eve bangers –
FOUR PAWS is campaigning against firecrackers and exposing excuses for fireworks.
Hamburg. If supporters of the New Year's Eve firecrackers see their right to firecrackers at risk, arguments are quickly fired upon. FOUR PAWS shows that the “good reasons” for the firecrackers are nothing but hot air and calls for a firecracker-free period around the turn of the year to protect pets and wild animals.
The global animal welfare foundation launched an awareness campaign on December 20th as part of the New Year's Eve banger. For the majority of pets and all wild animals, setting off loud fireworks is an immense physical and mental burden, which leads to stress and flight reactions. FOUR PAWS takes a close look at the five most common excuses that are intended to legitimize the racket.
Excuse 1: “My animal doesn't react at all to fireworks or even watches with interest. Therefore, fireworks cannot pose a problem for animals.”
Studies have shown that pets react to the light and banging effects of fireworks with varying degrees of intensity. With appropriate training, some pets can learn to tolerate the noise caused by fireworks. But this is not just a question of upbringing, but also of race, age or previous history. Every animal shows its fear differently: some start shaking and panting, others hide. But even if their own animal does not show any obvious stress behavior, pet owners often underestimate the effects of rocket and firecracker noise. One study finds that about 52 percent of dogs show fear reactions due to fireworks. In Germany that would be around five million dogs who suffer from the noise of fireworks every year.
Excuse 2: “Fireworks are only set off for a few hours. That's not bad.”
Even though most of the noise pollution is said to extend to a few hours around midnight, it is unfortunately a sad reality that the private sale of fireworks increases the noise level from the first day of sale and fireworks continue to be set off for a few days into the new year becomes. According to a study, 75 percent of animals return to normal behavior by the next day. 10 percent need another day to recover, 12 percent need a week and three percent sometimes need months to recover from the traumatic experiences.
Excuse 3: “Wild animals only live in the forest where no one sets off fireworks.”
There are animals that now explicitly live in the city, such as squirrels, foxes, birds and even wild boars, and have adapted to life here. Nevertheless, these animals are considered wild animals. Not all wild animals live far enough from urban centers so that they are not disturbed by the New Year's Eve firecrackers. We humans are increasingly encroaching on the habitat of wild animals, for example through settlements right next to the forest. Wild animals that live directly in cities also suffer from the firecrackers. It triggers a flight reaction in most wild animals, causing the animals to run in front of cars in a panic or be driven away from their sleeping places. The escape costs the animals energy that they could better use to survive in the winter.
Excuse 4: “Wild animals don’t mind the fireworks. They recover quickly.”
Wild animals show very clear reactions to the fireworks at the turn of the year. A study shows that the birds examined showed a significantly increased heart rate of up to 175 beats per minute during the duration of the fireworks, compared to a frequency of only 50 beats when at rest. A clear sign of fear and stress. An investigation into the effects of fireworks on breeding bird species shows that these animals also react differently to the noise of pyrotechnics. Some animals stayed away from the experimental site for up to two weeks or flew up to ten times higher than they normally do on New Year's Eve. In addition, the use of pyrotechnics to scare away birds at airports is a frequently used and effective means. A study shows that wild geese, startled by fireworks, fled up to 500 kilometers. Since most animal species are in hibernation or hibernation in December, any escape also means the consumption of much-needed energy reserves that cannot be easily rebuilt.
Excuse 5: “There are more rare animal species on German training grounds than anywhere else, even though there is constant shooting there.”
These places are used all year round so that wild animals can get used to the noise and the animals also have the opportunity to avoid the noise. To protect the animals, sufficient refuge areas have been set up for the animals in these areas. But new technology and smaller troop sizes also reduce noise pollution from practicing troops.
There is no reason to torture animals because of tradition
“The traditional fireworks display is also often used as an argument. However, if your own hobby or custom causes animals to suffer, then this is not a legitimate reason to harm sentient creatures,” says Judith Förster, pet expert at FOUR PAWS Germany.
As part of the campaign alliance for an animal-friendly New Year's Eve, FOUR PAWS provides a reporting tool where those affected can describe how their animals or themselves were harmed by New Year's Eve fireworks.
- Go to the reporting tool here.
- Here there is a petition for a ban on firecrackers.