Many people – and too many of them children – have suffered severe injuries due to the indiscriminate selling and irresponsible use of fireworks. These injuries are not limited to those handling fireworks in an improper manner, but have also been inflicted on innocent bystanders.
Domestic animals, especially dogs and cats, experience intense reactions to the loud explosions and blinding lights associated with fireworks, including confusion, anxiety and fear. These severely traumatised animals often attempt to escape these frightening detonations in a blind panic, inevitably landing them in dangerous situations causing not only damage to property, but severe injury to the animals. Dogs have been known to react to these explosions by jumping fences and even breaking through windows in an attempt to escape the terrifying noise and light. Many are crippled or killed by cars as they roam the streets in pure panic, while others are taken to shelters – often with injuries to their paws, heads and bodies associated with running on the roads and through gardens, shrubbery and fences. Guide dogs have been known to be so terrorized by the explosions that they suffer severe emotional distress and are unable to further assist their companion humans relying on their services.
Fireworks produce light, noise and air pollution. The explosions of fireworks release poisonous chemicals and particle-laden smoke, which contaminate the environment. Wildlife living downwind from fireworks displays is exposed to these hazards, as are domesticated animals and humans – this is of particular concern to humans suffering from asthma. Many birds also take flight at a loud bang and it has been documented that nesting birds are sometimes so traumatised that they are unable to find their own nests upon their return, endangering the lives of their fledglings.
We the undersigned strongly urge the Minister of Safety and Security to take the above into consideration and heed our call to officially ban the sale and use/detonation of fireworks in South Africa, for the safety of our children, our domestic animals and our uniquely South African wildlife.
