The SPCA is calling for the public to take a stand for animal welfare by not purchasing or setting off fireworks as this Sunday’s Guy Fawkes celebrations draw nearer.
Every year, SPCA receives dozens of calls relating to animals that have been negatively impacted by fireworks, including injuries and running away in distress.
Now, because “the government has failed year after year to address this issue”, SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood is asking Kiwis to voluntarily forgo fireworks.
The Masterton SPCA currently has 41 animals in its centre, and while it’s located in an industrial area, extra measures are still being taken to ensure the animals aren’t placed under any unnecessary stress.
“All of the animals are kept inside the centre, and we have music playing in the background,” Masterton centre manager Rebecca Johnston said.
Nervous or stressed dogs are given collars that release a synthetic copy of the pheromone a canine mother emits after birth to calm and reassure her puppies, while the cats’ bedding is doused with a spray that emulates the natural pheromones released by a mother cat to calm her kittens.
It’s not just domestic pets at risk from fireworks – Department of Conservation national fire advisor Scott Bowie is also reminding people that, without a permit from Fenz, lighting fireworks on public conservation land is banned “to protect our special native species and places, as we know wildfires can be devastating to our native ecosystems”.
“In an El Nino part of the [weather] cycle, the East Coast especially tends to be hotter and drier so the impacts can be much worse.”
In addition, nocturnal animals like kiwi and pekapeka [bats] reside in some parts of Wairarapa and Bowie asks that the public “refrain from setting off fireworks if they are likely to cause harm to the local fauna”.
“This consideration needs to also be given to all areas of public conservation land and threatened species including beaches where seals may be resting, riverbeds where native birds may be nesting, and across lakes and wetlands where significant amounts of wildlife may be present.”
Federated Farmers Wairarapa president David Hayes also has some concerns about the possibility of livestock being impacted by fireworks, because they “can react really badly to noises and things they’re not familiar with”.
The sale of private fireworks is restricted to four days a year in the lead-up to Guy Fawkes, although there is currently no legislation preventing the public from lighting fireworks throughout the rest of the year.
