Eco, animal welfare groups: Firecracker noise tortures animals

Environment and animal welfare groups discouraged the public from lighting firecrackers or firing guns in welcoming the New Year, as the noise will torture animals. EcoWaste Coalition, on its blog site on Wednesday, along with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), urged the public to be kind to animals by shunning the use of firecrackers. “This New Year’s Eve, please do not use firecrackers or firearms. The explosive and unpredictable bangs, the choking fumes, and the bright displays of light hurt the highly sensitive ears, powerful noses, and keen eyesight of dogs and truly frighten them," PAWS director Elsie Araneta said. Araneta said 90 percent of the calls they get around New Year's Day are mostly about "animals getting lost because they were spooked by firecrackers or those who were injured due to firecrackers." “To us humans the noise of firecrackers can be an inconvenience, but to animals – such as dogs and cats – with highly sensitive hearing, that same noise can be the equivalent of a cannon going off near them," said EcoWaste's Aileen Lucero. "Magnify that by the amount of firecrackers all going off at once on New Year’s Eve, and imagine the mega-torture that the day brings to them," Lucero added. Both groups said animals have highly sensitive hearing to survive in the wild. They also also bemoaned that very little is written about the impacts of firecrackers the health of Metro Manila's animal population. “Firecracker-related injuries and deaths among humans have been well monitored and documented by the government in the past decades. We commend them for their efforts, but we would also like to see them exercising the same vigilance on behalf of animals," said Lucero. Tips for New Year's Eve celebrations PAWS and EcoWaste Coalition issued tips for helping animals survive the firecracker noise and injuries during the New Year’s Eve celebrations. These include. 1. Persuade members of your household to make your home a “no firecracker" zone. 2. Politely tell your neighbors not to light or throw firecrackers near your home. 3. Exercise your pets during the days leading up to the New Year’s Eve and in the next morning when the festivities are over and the smoke has cleared. 4. Give your pets a physical outlet for their pent up energy due to arousal and stress. 5. Manage the environment so it is as relaxing as possible and as unstressful as you can make it. 6. Provide your pet with a safe place to take temporary refuge. If possible, allow your pet to stay in a quiet room such as a bedroom. 7. Close the windows, put the curtains down and play a relaxing music to neutralize the noise from the outside to help your pets feel secure. 8. Ensure your pet’s access to drinking water. Make her/him pee or poo. 9. Do not yell or laugh at your pet when she/he is cowering or shaking in fear. This is a natural response to a threat that they do not understand and cannot avoid. – VVP, GMANews.TV