RSPCA’s fireworks warning for animals

Animal welfare experts in the North East fear this fireworks season could be the worst in decades for pets and wildlife as more people opt for home displays due to covid restrictions.

The RSPCA say a poll it under took shows more people are planning private displays at home with friends and family – 21%, almost double the number last year.

The charity says it receives hundreds of calls about fireworks affecting animals every year and, last year, launched its a campaign calling for tighter regulations around the sale and use of fireworks.

RSPCA animal welfare expert Dr Mark Kennedy said: “We understand that people enjoy celebrating Bonfire Night, New Year’s Eve and other key dates with fireworks and we don’t want to spoil the fun.

"Unfortunately, lock down measures this year mean that very few organised, public displays are likely to go ahead and we suspect this means lots of families will be choosing to have their own displays at home.

"Due to the ‘rule of six’ and restrictions on households mixing, we fear that there will be lots of little displays taking place over weeks and weeks.

“We’ d urge people to be considerate and keep neighbours with animals informed of their plans well in advance so they can make preparations to reduce the stress to their animals.”

“Wildlife can also be seriously impacted by bonfires and fireworks. Wild animals, like hedgehogs, are at risk of being burnt alive after making their homes inside bonfires and piles of leaves, while some birds will flee their nests due to noise.”