It’s more than time to ban fireworks
Fireworks are on sale right now and it's already been a terrible week for many. So I'm encouraging people to share this and take a pledge to not let off private fireworks.
Empathy Not Explosives
Pledge not to terrorise your neighbours with fireworks this year! Here are all of the reasons why private fireworks displays should be banned. Please feel free to share any of this! We want to spread the word:
They kill, maim and terrify pets, livestock and wildlife. There's a reason why veterinarians and pet stores ran the biggest campaign against the private use of fireworks in Aotearoa. The New Zealand Veterinary Association has a position statement calling for a ban on private fireworks use:
Fireworks are known to trigger fear and anxiety in animals, likely due to the unpredictability of their release, and the high noise intensity (Gates et al., 2019). In experimental settings, the consequences of animals being exposed to unpredictable, high intensity noise stimuli (e.g. recordings of fireworks or thunder) include increased cortisol levels, and behavioural changes indicative of fear and anxiety (Beerda et al., 1997; de Souza et al., 2017; Young et al., 2012). Behaviours considered to indicate fear and anxiety in dogs and cats include trembling/shaking, vocalising, hiding, attempting to escape (e.g. Blackwell et al., 2013; Dale et al., 2010), whilst in horses behaviours such as running, trembling, sweating and fence-walking are seen (Gronqvist et al., 2016).
A survey revealed that 75% of pet owners report their pets being stressed and terrified by fireworks in Aotearoa, and 29%had their pet run away.
Even after the usual week of fireworks being let off, NZVA have said there are behavioural responses to fireworks that "often outlast the period of fireworks release, with more than 20% of animals exhibiting behavioural changes for between one day and one week after exposure to fireworks (Gates et al., 2019; Riemer, 2019)".
It can also make pets react in fear - a family dog panicked and killed a nine-month-old baby in a terrible tragedy yesterday in Wales.
A nyala at Wellington Zoo was so scared of fireworks that he ran into a fence and died. An autopsy showed his death was caused by high levels of stress. Last year in the Bay of Plenty alone, two horses died due to fireworks.
Within 15 minutes of hearing fireworks, this sweet little dog Lilly, was lying dead in the middle of the road.
Ask any veterinarian, and they'll share horror stories. Healthy Pets New Zealand trustee and veterinarian Dr Cath Watson said: "I’ve witnessed broken teeth, torn limbs (especially toes and pads), damaged eyes, torn ears and deep penetrating wounds from glass, including one that pierced the chest and lacerated a lung.
"I’ve also seen dogs hit by cars while fleeing in panic, and horses badly tangled in fences. These incidents can tragically result in death or euthanasia."
As I finished writing this, I saw the news that Izzy, a seven-year-old Australian Shepherd, who fled in terror from fireworks and had to be put down.
We have people who have escaped war and genocide in this country - the noise from fireworks is terrifying for children and adults who have survived the unimaginable. Why would anyone want to make life harder for those people?
Babies, elderly people, neurodivergent kids and adults and kids and adults with cognitive issues are particularly at risk of trauma from fireworks - I'll never forget hearing from an aged care worker who said patients with dementia had to be restrained due to self-harm out of terror due to fireworks noise. They couldn't understand what was happening, and aged care workers were almost in tears trying to comfort them.
Fireworks week is a nightmare for adults and children with sensory issues who cannot predict when fireworks will go off and have no escape from. It can be impossible for their parents and carers to help them understand why people are letting off fireworks.
And obviously, as a mum with a baby who rarely slept - I have always hated fireworks. Why would you make life harder for any of these people?
The biggest losers on the planet love fireworks. It's small man energy. See: Damien Grant's freedom to be an asshole.
If we're going to talk about libertarians (vomit) - injuries from fireworks cost us a fortune. I support the rights of libertarians to blow their dicks off with fireworks but I shouldn't have to pay for it. A total of 341 new claims to ACC for fireworks-related injuries in 2023 (an increase of 92 injuries)
Our firefighters are striking because they don't have the resources they need yet assholes with fireworks keep setting fires - One hundred and six fires were reported to be caused by fireworks in 2023 (around a 58% increase on the prior year).
It keeps police away from life or death calls because they have to deal with dickheads with fireworks - A total of 1572 service calls to NZ Police relating to fireworks (around a 124% increase on the prior year).
Successive governments have ignored all of this, and the fact that people want a fireworks ban - More than 90,000 people signed the Ban the Boom petition. MP Greg Fleming, in true National style, was was presented with a petition calling for a ban and said "there's no appetite whatsoever from the government's agenda for looking at this".
I mean I could go on and on. But surely isn't that enough? Surely, if the government won't act, communities will? Ask your neighbours not to let off fireworks. Make not letting fireworks off part of the social contract of the community!
