RSPCA Greed over animal welfare

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Laura Cannon

• Last online: 10 hours ago
• Mother Hen
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• Registered: 9 August 2006
• From: Winchester, UK

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I received the following message from a reader - it raises some interesting points about wildlife and fireworks.

Laura


Dear Editor,
Many Pet Owners cannot truly prepare for the manic firework season that increases each year. Just how many pets will suffer this year? Never a thought is given to the thousands of aviary birds killed and traumatised and as to rub salt deeply into the wounds it appears that the RSPCA are appealing to dog owners to start preparing their canine companions for Bonfire Night by using sound therapy to minimise the misery suffered by terrified animals. The RSPCA state that up to 3 million canines could be directly affected by fireworks but this does not take into consideration the many millions of other animals that die and suffer unnecessarily due to the indiscriminate and increasing use of fireworks.

The two CD pack (to which the RSPCA glean 10% of every sale) is said to cover all manner of noises from firework fizzes to bangs and even gunshots and has to be played over a period of time increasing the volume as you proceed.

Even forgetting the issue of further annoying your neighbours with continued increasing booms and bangs from your entertainment system, firework noises are sporadic and are set off at all manner of hours and in many cases when animals are relaxed and sleeping. Furthermore there is the equally serious issue of night fright caused by the bright flashes caused by fireworks which kills and injures many captive animals including birds.

The Animal Welfare Act was introduced to improve animal welfare and to stop unnecessary suffering caused to animals ( both mental and physical ) but cruelty and abandonment towards our beloved pets has increased and when I raised the issues of firework implications towards animals in the Animal Welfare welfare consultation the then Labour Animal Welfare Minister Elliot Morley responded by letter stating that fireworks were not an animal welfare issue.

So one could assume that both the Labour Government and in this particular case the RSPCA consider revenue more important than animal welfare?

It has been proven that fireworks kill and maim thousands of animals each year yet for fear of lost revenue and public donations our Government and leading animal charity fail to address this increasing and very serious issue, whereas a ban on the public use of fireworks and only the licensed events at a set time could redress the problem imediately and further reduce the pollution caused by the publics over zealous use of fireworks.

Andrew Meads
Safewings Wildlife Conservation Projects
Isham, Northants

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Laura Cannon

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• Mother Hen
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There are details on the CD for training dogs to tolerate fireworks, referred to by this reader, in our featured article - Prepare Now For Fireworks.

Sadly I agree that the RSPCA and the government are too interested in revenue to do the obvious. Fireworks not only kill and maim animals, but humans too. Yet Big Brother and "elth & safety" will ban almost any other activity when it poses no real danger to anything or anybody.

I live in a very rural area, yet fireworks are becoming increasingly common. I have known a sheep be badly burned because a rocket fell on it's back, not to mention panicking horses which can have very serious results. Not everybody can shut their horses in night after night, and even if they do, then some panic more when enclosed. A good friend lost his sheepdog, although it was shut in a van - with the window slightly down for air, whilst he was checking some stock in mid afternoon when a banger exploded overhead. The dog must have squeezed through the gap. Luckily a happy end as the dog was spotted 15 miles away the next day by an eagle eyed farmer, on it's way home, it was assumed.

Our current dogs couldn't care less which is fortunate. But then they do not have to put up with too much. Although our neighbour who is not so rural minded believes in fireworks at the end of a party, and always at midnight on New Year's Eve. The dogs might not mind but we get furious!

Do these CD's work in practice though? Or, as the previous correspondant said, it's just more money for the RSPCA. No. It cannot simulate a sudden loud bang when the dog is asleep. Previously I had one out of 5 dogs who was terrified. I do not believe anything would have made any difference to her. Even though 3 of the others were not concerned it made no difference to her at all. We also had a sheepdog prior to that who escaped through the cat flap. He was too large to go through, but he did. Luckily we found him cowering in woods only a few hours later after extensive searching.

Fireworks should be restricted to fixed, organised events, where to be quite honest, if you like that sort of thing, you gat a much better display for your money anyway.

I feel so sorry for caring owners that are beset with fireworks, and wonder how many animals actually go missing as I direct result, apart from those injured or killed.

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Laura Cannon

• Last online: 10 hours ago
• Mother Hen
• Posts: 57
• Registered: 9 August 2006
• From: Winchester, UK

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How sad that you've seen so much damage to animals even in rural areas where you'd think there were fewer fireworks to worry them.
I agree about the organised displays. They are a much better spectacle, pet owners can plan around them and they must be getter for the planet too - one big display prevents lots of little ones - a bit like taking the bus instead of driving!