PETA Offers Tips for a Safe Diwali
Group Wants to Make Holiday Peaceful for Animals
-- To dogs, cows, donkeys and other animals, Diwali can seem more like a terrorist attack than a festive celebration. Noisy fireworks displays are frightening to animals, who don't realise that the explosions are entertainment, not bombardment.
Following fireworks displays, animal shelters take in more lost companion animals than usual. Many animals run away from their homes after they become frightened by the loud noises. The lucky ones are reunited with their families, but others are never found, and some suffer serious injuries or even die as they try to escape the noise.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India encourages people to take the following precautions to ensure animals' comfort and safety:
· Keep cats and dogs indoors during fireworks displays, and if possible, stay with them.
· Close your windows and curtains, and turn on a radio or TV to help drown out the noise.
· Make sure your animal companion is wearing a collar and an updated identification tag.
· Make sure people do not throw firecrackers at animals. Ask your building's security guard to be on the lookout for people who tie lit firecrackers to the tails of dogs and other animals. Report problems to the police.
· Whenever possible, discourage people from bursting very loud crackers – animals' hearing is far more sensitive than that of humans.
· Keep an eye out for lost companion animals who are wearing collars and tags. Take these animals to your local animal shelter, or look after them until their home can be found.
· Instead of ear-splittingly loud and dangerous bombs, light up your houses with diyas, lamps and other decorative ornaments that are friendly to all.