Everybody can enjoy a great fireworks spectacle, but most animals often aren’t a fan of the fireworks at all. They make too much noise and the bangs can definitely scare dogs and other pets.
After all, they don’t have a clue what’s going on, and all those loud explosions and bright lights can terrify them. In fact, statistics show a large correlation between fireworks and visits to the vet, the day after.
July 5th, for example, is one of the most busy days of the year for American veterinarians – the day after the Fourth of July celebrations which are often accompanied by plenty of fireworks.
Pups often run away scared for their lives, tend to get lost or even worse – get hit by a vehicle. Chickens are known to lay fewer eggs, and a massive amount of birds simply panic and fly away, sometimes hitting buildings and dropping to the ground.
Aside from the immediate effects, fireworks can also lead to more longterm medical issues for pets and wildlife.
Sudden loud bangs have been proven to greatly increase the stress levels of pups, which in turn results in nausea, chronic panic attacks, and even cardiovascular issues.
Whether it’s for a national holiday, a World Cup win, New Year’s Eve or some other celebratory event, one Italian city has now found the perfect way to keep fireworks alive and let animals enjoy them as well.
One town has made it mandatory to only use silent fireworks from now on.
The Italian city Collecchio in the Parma province is taking the first step and hopes that many other cities – both national and worldwide – will follow in their footsteps. The law text clearly states that all citizens must use silent fireworks to respect the animals around us and reduce their stress levels.
Silent fireworks still provide a ton of lights and visual spectacle and produce a minimal noise when they’re launched into the air. After all, you need some sort of ignition to get them high in the sky, but the noise isn’t severe enough to startle or scare animals.
There’s no big and loud bang at the end, as the beauty of silent fireworks can be seen in the trail it leaves behind. An Italian company specializes in the production of these silent fireworks and can adapt their colors and effects to your choosing. The local government in the Italian town has declared the use of ‘normal’ fireworks punishable by law.
If you’re worried that these silent fireworks don’t offer the same amount of spectacle as a normal firework show would – don’t be.
Silent firework shows are usually accompanied by stronger visual effects and laser shows, and they’re usually a lot more colorful as well.
Normal firework explosions, known as ‘stars’ in the industry, tend to be so severe that the fireworks themselves lose a bit of their color effect – something that’s not an issue for the silent fireworks, which have a ‘comet trail’ effect instead of a loud explosion.
Just recently, the Belgian coast city Middelkerke was inspired by the idea of the Italians and organized an ‘animal-friendly’ fireworks display. The local government encouraged animal owners to bring their pets and watch the show. This time, everyone – human and animal alike – was able to enjoy the spectacle.
We can only hope that more cities will follow in their footsteps.
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