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ARCHIVED - Animal activists call for firework ban in Spain
Fireworks can cause tremors, nausea and even death in animals
For the second year running, Germany has banned the use of fireworks and firecrackers over the Christmas period, and animal rights groups in Spain are hoping that this country will soon follow suit. The reasons in Germany are many, from ensuring clean air and reducing noise pollution, to avoiding accidents that would heap more pressure on their already over-burdened hospital staff.
Fireworks don’t only pose a minor annoyance to people, but can severely affect animals, whose hearing is often much more sensitive than in humans.
The Spanish Federation for Animal Protection believes that it would be a "brave, appropriate and much-needed initiative. Not only to protect animals, both wild and domestic, but also people."
A spokesperson explained that "the noise of the fireworks exceeds what can be considered annoying noise" and that for animals "it is as if a war were unleashed and they were at the epicentre”.
Fireworks can cause tremors, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, extreme fear and even death in animals, and activists feel that Spain should follow the lead of other countries by celebrating festivals in other ways, such as light or drone displays.
The Asociación Animalista Su Voz in Toledo has called on the government to at least introduce a law requiring pyrotechnics to be silent, arguing that traditional fireworks can also be extremely stressful and dangerous for those with autism or epilepsy.
Responding to the regulations in Germany, the Spanish Association of Pyrotechnics has argued that the situation in Spain is very different, where fireworks are used all year round. In Germany, their use is confined to between 6pm and 1am on December 31 only, which results in a large number of injuries being concentrated in a small window of time.
Regarding the harm to animals, the association has confirmed that “they are working in several ways” to safeguard pets and wildlife during celebrations that traditionally involve fireworks. One of the proposals is to create a regulation of use while another involves "cooperating with veterinary clinics to promote the training of animals to lose the phobia of pyrotechnics as is already being done in many veterinary clinics".
Image: Archive
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