Fireworks cause foal’s death
A long-time horse owner who had to put her foal down after he was seriously injured when spooked by fireworks wants them banned – and a privately commissioned survey shows there is support for such a move.
Fiona Helm, of Temuka, has owned horses for most of her life, and said the ‘‘traumatic’’ incident which seriously injured her 10-month-old horse George, who she had bred, ‘‘did not need to happen’’.
‘‘It’s just stupidity,’’ Helm said. ‘‘I can cope and understand having fireworks once a year, but this [the incident] didn’t even happen on Guy Fawkes night [November 5].’’
George’s shoulder was ripped open, and his leg broken, after he was spooked by fireworks on November 12, just hours after Helm had checked on her horses, in the paddock she keeps them in.
‘‘The horses have never had a big issue with fireworks, and they can normally handle it if it’s just the one night in a week,’’ she said.
‘‘I had gone down to check them that night at about 10pm. It was a whole week after Guy Fawkes night.’’
The animals all seemed settled and Helm left with absolutely no idea of the tragedy that was to unfold, with someone letting fireworks off about 1.30am.
Helm said she couldn’t believe it when she got to the paddock in the morning to discover George and said his injuries were ‘‘very confronting’’.
His leg was torn, and he was bleeding, while the other horses in the paddock were unharmed.
She thinks he may have been
asleep when the fireworks started and this would have startled him, she said.
‘‘He’s then run into a post or run into the fence. It was just too much for him.’’
A vet stitched him up, but during the week, with a broken shoulder and leg, Helm was informed it would be kinder to put her beloved young horse down.
‘‘It was heartbreaking. He was such a lovely horse. It did not need to happen.’’
She has not received her final vet bill, but estimates the incident will cost her at least $500.
‘‘I would love to find the person who let the fireworks off and give them the bill.’’
She said she wants fireworks banned in New Zealand, as they are ‘‘so traumatic’’ for all animals.
She had shared images of George’s injuries on social media and said she had been contacted by many other animal owners who had their own experiences of fireworks spooked pets. ‘‘It’s just too much for animals. ‘‘Owners should not have to sedate them. That’s terrible.’’
She had also had offers from other people to take her horses out of the paddock during Guy Fawkes and place them somewhere else, which she said was great but because people could let fireworks off at any time, it was too hard to predict when they should be moved.
Helm said she had a good support network but was unsure if she would breed another horse, in place of George.
‘‘I can’t cope with that again, it’s so heartbreaking.’’
Helm’s call to ban fireworks has been backed up by a survey commissioned by Wellington man Jonathan Hill which shows two-thirds (65%) of the 1085 people asked now oppose the private sale of fireworks.
Hill said he was so irritated at the private sale and use of fireworks he paid to commission research on the subject, and now hopes to use it to encourage the Government to act.
He has sent the results to ministers and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
‘‘I’ve got two dogs and two kids aged 6 and 4,’’ Hill said.
‘‘For at least a week around Guy Fawkes night we finally get the kids to sleep and then somebody in the neighbourhood starts up with them. They make an enormous amount of noise. The puppy’s scared, the kids wake up. It can go on for hours.’’
‘‘I seriously think New Zealand has outgrown fireworks and the data proves it. It’s time for politicians to act, and the data shows people want them to.’’
Jonathan Hill
Ban fireworks advocate
He also worried about the impact on livestock, native wildlife and the environment.
‘‘I seriously think New Zealand has outgrown fireworks and the data proves it. It’s time for politicians to act, and the data shows people want them to.’’
Hill’s survey, undertaken by Talbot Mills Research, polled 1085 people with the question: Would you support a ban on the private sale of fireworks?
The results also show, of those surveyed, women were more likely to support a ban (70%) than men (61%).