With the festive season upon us, Ban Animal Trading urges you, the reader, to make the compassionate decision to celebrate this time with the joy it deserves, and without the cruelty that goes hand-in-hand with the use of fireworks.
In celebrating our own enjoyment of the festive season with bangs and showers of explosions, far too many of us tend to overlook or ignore the helpless souls who live among us: the animals. Our dogs, cats, birds, and other pets celebrate the festive season with us and suffer immensely under the assault of fireworks and crackers.
Year after year, bigger and louder fireworks are illegally brought into and sold in this country. Importers try to outdo each other, selling to the public in ever greater numbers and often in flagrant violation of the provisions of the Explosives Act.
Yet at what cost?
Our poor animals pay the price.
When one considers that animals have a more acute sense of hearing than humans, and react to sounds that are inaudible to humans, is it any wonder that they go crazy trying to escape the onslaught of noise caused by fireworks and crackers? Baby birds are scared into jumping out of nests and thousands of wild animals are displaced because of the stress and fear caused by fireworks. Dogs and cats break chains, jump fences (often impaling themselves in the process), squeeze through impossible openings, and lose their homes in their terrified attempts to escape the auditory assault on them.
More often than not, the truly unfortunate innocents are caught in actual explosions and severely injured and killed; if not by the fireworks themselves, then by cars as they run lost and terrified in our streets. Most never find their way back home.
Is this truly the permanent price they must pay for a few hours of ‘entertainment’?
We urge you not to support this outdated practice and to know, understand and, most importantly, enforce your rights relating to the use of fireworks. All explosives are governed by the Explosives Act 26 of 1956 read with the applicable Regulations.
The most important provisions of the Regulations are as follows:
- 10.34. It shall be unlawful for any person to use or explode any fireworks:
- Within 500 metres of where explosives are stored, explosives factory, petroleum depot, or gasometer
- Â In any building or on any public thoroughfare
- In any public place or resort, except with the prior written permission of the local authority.
- 10.35. No person shall operate a public display of fireworks on any premises without the written permission of the Chief Inspector of Explosives.
- 10.35. Such permission shall stipulate the conditions to be complied with and non-compliance with any of these conditions shall constitute an offense under this regulation.
- 10.36. Application for permission to operate a public display of fireworks shall be made in writing and shall set forth.
- The name of the person or organisation sponsoring the display together with the names of the persons actually in charge of the firing of the display who shall be at least 18 years of age and competent for the work
- The date and time of day at which the display is to be held
- The exact location planned for the display
- A description setting forth the age and qualifications of the persons who are to do the actual discharging of the fireworks
- The number and kind of fireworks to be discharged and the value of the display
- The manner and place of storage of such fireworks prior to the display
- A diagram of the grounds on which the display is to be held showing:
- 1 The point at which the fireworks are to be discharged, which shall be at least 100 metres from the nearest building, road or railway, and at least 20 metres from the nearest telephone, telegraph or powerline, tree or other overhead obstruction.
- 2 The direction in which aerial fireworks, if any, are to be fired
- Â The area to be kept clear of persons which shall extend at least 50 metres from the front and to the sides of the point at which the fireworks are to be discharged.
- 1. The area to be kept clear on which falling residue from aerial fireworks is expected to drop, which shall extend for at least 100 metres to the rear of the firing point.
- 2. The location of all buildings and roads within 200 metres of the firing site and of all trees, telegraph or telephone lines or other overhead obstructions at or adjacent to the firing site.
- 10.37. At a public display of fireworks it shall be an offense for any person willfully to enter on or remain in that area reserved for receiving falling residue from aerial fireworks.
- Ban Animal Trading urges you to take a proactive stance against the use of fireworks by:
- Asking for a meeting with any company or organisation that plans to have a fireworks event
- Making sure all their permits are in order
- Contacting the councillor in the ward in which the fireworks event is to be held and to ask for assistance
- Getting the community involved and educating them on the dangers and consequences of the use of fireworks
- Sharing information on social media so that people can object
- Contacting the Metro police in the area. It is their duty to police and enforce the bylaws
- Being an advocate for animals. Advise your friends and family about the real cruelty of fireworks.
