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By Barry Bateman
With Guy Fawkes being celebrated today and the festive season looming, animal welfare lobbyists and the authorities have appealed to the public to consider the safety of animals before setting of fireworks.
The Tshwane Metro Police have already started by-law operations to crack down on dealers selling fireworks illegally. Earlier this week the unit seized more than a million rands worth of fireworks in Laudium.
The SPCA, metro police and Tshwane fire brigade services briefed the media yesterday on the dangers and rules and regulations relating to fireworks.
Tshwane SPCA managing director Rick Allan said fireworks affected animals because their senses are seven times more acute than that of humans.
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"That is why dogs panic when they hear the bangs from crackers.
'We are appealing to the public to be considerate. Every year animals kill themselves when they try to force their way through palisade fencing, some have also drowned when they land up in pools.
"We will have to humanely destroy many animals," he said.
Allan said despite annual warnings about the dangers of fireworks, the SPCA continues to receive calls about animals suffering horrifically from the effects of fireworks.
He said most of these injuries could be avoided if organised events and fireworks activities are planned more carefully and kept away from residential areas and farm animals.
To mitigate the impact on animals, pet owners can, among other measures, keep them indoors; attempt to reduce the noise by closing the curtains and playing calming music; provide them with something to chew on like a bone; place familiar and comforting items around them like baskets and blankets; and ask a vet for a sedative, but never give medication intended for humans.
Tshwane fire brigade services spokesman Johan Pieterse said people who wanted to use fireworks need to apply to the Chief Fire Officer for permission two weeks before the date of the fireworks being set off.
"We have not received any applications so far," he said.
Pieterse said people using fireworks without the approval face spot fines of R2 500.
"Failure to comply will result in stiff penalties," he said.
The metro police by-law directorate's Senior Superintendent Doortjie van Rensburg said they were deploying additional personnel in the event of serious problems and had stepped up their operations.
"This year we are going to hammer illegal dealers," she said.
Van Rensburg encouraged the public to report illegal use of the fireworks and to assist them in the prosecution of offenders.
"If we catch a child setting off fireworks, we will take the child to the parents and issue the parents with a fine. Repeat offenders will be taken to court," she said.
Problems can be reported to the metro police by-law enforcement centre at 012 358 0070 or the standby officer on 082 607 1039.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Pretoria News on November 05, 2009
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We all have legal duty of care to one another, surely this is sufficient.