Home | Get Active | Living | TV | Shop | About PETA | Donate Now

Bird Deaths Should End Fireworks Displays

Written by PETA

Posted 01-06-2011

ericlbc/CC by 2.0

Fireworks are being blamed for the recent deaths of 5,000 birds in Arkansas. The professional-grade explosives scared red-winged blackbirds and European starlings out of their nests and sent them into panicked flight. The night-blind birds crashed into houses, signs, and other obstacles, causing blunt-force trauma and death.

As this case shows, fireworks displays are disastrous for animals. Besides being frightening, fireworks produce plumes of smoke that are harmful to animals' respiratory systems and pollute standing water. The California Coastal Commission banned the city of Gualala's fireworks display after a 2006 show caused nesting seabirds to flee their nests and abandon their chicks. Fireworks are also being blamed for the deaths of about 50 birds found dead on a street in Sweden earlier this year. Animal shelters also report an increase in the number of lost animal companions following fireworks displays. Many animals go missing because they panic and jump over fences or break chains; some even jump through plate-glass windows in order to get away from the terrifying sounds.

You can help birds and other animals by asking officials in your town to ban fireworks and switch to laser light shows, which provide all the awe of fireworks displays but are more affordable and kinder to animals and the environment.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Tags:

California, fireworks, bird deaths, Arkansas

Recent Comments

Megakittyglitter commented:

Nov 27, 2011 11:30 AM

I love you PETA, and I'm sorry but I think this is a little much extreme............
Karla commented:

Jan 10, 2011 7:02 PM

I WISH we could blame this all on fireworks (not that I favor them, personally). This is GLOBAL and very frightening and whatever is happening seems to be targeting one species at a time all within the period of a week. Let us mourn the loss of of these creatures and pray that is not a sign of things to come.
L Smith commented:

Jan 10, 2011 2:37 PM

There is evidence linking H.A.A.R.P to the bird deaths around the world. Someone has mapped the locations and they are all near HAARP stations... see utube video haarp , animal deaths.. he has 2 lengthly videos--
karaleigh commented:

Jan 9, 2011 1:33 PM

you people need to read the USA today article that is linked in the above PETA article, and/or just do a google search. SEVERAL avian experts have stated the necropsies (animal autopsies) have indicated the birds were scared from their nests, and flew into houses, walls, the ground; the birds had broken beaks, skulls, and bruised breasts. these injuries are not caused by noxious gases or poison sprays, they are IMPACT injuries caused by blunt-force trauma self-inflicted by frightened birds trying to flee the scene! so maybe it's YOU people that need better fact-checkers, huh?
renee commented:

Jan 9, 2011 4:51 AM

I live across from a park where every July 4th our town has a huge fireworks display. My yard is 50x100 and has a variety of trees, shrubs, birdfeeders, etc. and where alot of birds make their homes. Each year, on the morning after a fireworks display, I find between 3-6 dead birds in my yard. During last year's fireworks display (which I can view from my backyard), I was aware of several cardinals panicking and flying from their roosts. The next morning I found the male cardinal dead; his mate never returned to the nest, abandoning their chicks. There were two dead fledgling crowes also in my yard that morning, one with a broken beak and the other a broken neck. A dead dove was in my front yard as well. This may not appear to be of great significance, but I talked with several neighbors and they, too, found a few dead birds in their yards the day after the fireworks. I asked our city council for a reduction of the fireworks noise during those displays (to no avail), as it seemed to be the overuse of deafening "boom" sounds which caused the birds to panic. In recent years, the fireworks displays in our town have become too loud... If thousands of birds roosting in Arkansas were frightened from their roosts by fireworks, I can understand the massive deaths that resulted, given what I see each year on a much smaller scale in my tiny yard.
johanna commented:

Jan 8, 2011 8:39 AM

I love you PETA and I agree that fireworks should be banned completely. Aside from the above mentioned reasons, it's also completely wasteful!
M.C. commented:

Jan 8, 2011 2:39 AM

Ok fireworks or not if they were poisoned do you think the government will ever want to admit to that? No! So let's give them a few months to get results. By then all of you would have forgotten about this incident. In my opinion the fire works story sounds very likely. I have pets whom run around scared when they hear fireworks on fourth of july. There is no need to ban the fireworks display just have them relocate the show to an area that wouldn't cause birds to flee.
Dee commented:

Jan 8, 2011 1:17 AM

It's certainly possible -- maybe even probable in the case of the redwing blackbirds near Beebe -- that they died because of the fireworks. But there's also a good chance that those fireworks were already illegal. Professional fireworks shows usually take place in a large open area free of trees, partly to reduce the fire hazard. If in this instance it was just a bunch of yokels setting off high-power fireworks in their neighborhood, near trees where birds were roosting, then they were probably breaking the law. (And if so, I hope they do some serious jail time for it.) Fireworks in general do not kill nearly as many animals as are killed on the highway, killed by airplanes, killed for meat and fur, and in labs, and etc. There are a lot of birds killed from flying into skyscrapers with reflective exteriors, that make the building look "invisible" to the birds. We can't ban everything, but we can do our best to make it safer for animals. With fireworks, we can regulate who is licensed to use them, require training for the license, make sure they're not located near vulnerable bird species, etc. Many people, myself included, get a real thrill from fireworks shows. If we were going to ban anything, we should ban hunting. Hunters kills many more animals every year than fireworks do, and it brings no beauty or pleasure to anyone except the hunters themselves.
Dee commented:

Jan 8, 2011 1:17 AM

It's certainly possible -- maybe even probable in the case of the redwing blackbirds near Beebe -- that they died because of the fireworks. But there's also a good chance that those fireworks were already illegal. Professional fireworks shows usually take place in a large open area free of trees, partly to reduce the fire hazard. If in this instance it was just a bunch of yokels setting off high-power fireworks in their neighborhood, near trees where birds were roosting, then they were probably breaking the law. (And if so, I hope they do some serious jail time for it.) Fireworks in general do not kill nearly as many animals as are killed on the highway, killed by airplanes, killed for meat and fur, and in labs, and etc. There are a lot of birds killed from flying into skyscrapers with reflective exteriors, that make the building look "invisible" to the birds. We can't ban everything, but we can do our best to make it safer for animals. With fireworks, we can regulate who is licensed to use them, require training for the license, make sure they're not located near vulnerable bird species, etc. Many people, myself included, get a real thrill from fireworks shows. If we were going to ban anything, we should ban hunting. Hunters kills many more animals every year than fireworks do, and it brings no beauty or pleasure to anyone except the hunters themselves.
ska213 commented:

Jan 8, 2011 12:52 AM

Coastal Coyote is correct about the USDA killin' birds for farmers, but not telling the public about the danger. This situation very well could be the result of fireworks...birds fly by VISION and sight is their compass.

Page:

1
|
2
|
3

Post a Comment

Display Name *
Your Web Site
E-Mail *
Comment *

Sign me up for PETA E-News, a biweekly e-mail series.
* Required field(s).

By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us.

REPORT CRUELTY

If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.

Recent Posts

Jeff Mackey

PETA to Philippine Airlines: Ground the Monkey Business!

Posted 05-23-2013
Michelle Kretzer

Celebrities Protest to Free Orca

Posted 05-22-2013
Alisa Mullins

An Adoption That Was Meant to 'Bea'

Posted 05-22-2013
Alisa Mullins

Man Who Chained Dog in Garage Barred From Owning Animals

Posted 05-21-2013
Jeff Mackey

Viola Davis: Ready to 'Help' Elephants Abused by Circuses

Posted 05-21-2013
Jeff Mackey

USDA Slams Bristol-Myers Squibb With Fine Over Monkey Deaths

Posted 05-20-2013
Alisa Mullins

Kids Put the 'Rad' in Colorado

Posted 05-20-2013
Alisa Mullins

IRS Harassed PETA, Too

Posted 05-17-2013
Michelle Kretzer

Hot Cars, Supermodels, Cute Dogs, the Cute Beatle, and Vegan Cookies—What More Could You Ask For?

Posted 05-17-2013
Alisa Mullins

Canine Murder Mystery on the James River

Posted 05-16-2013

PETA

Bunnies Drowned at Ohio Petland

Posted 08-04-2009

1,768 Comments
Michelle Kretzer

Elephant Interrupts McCartney's Olympic Rehearsal

Posted 07-26-2012

1,340 Comments
PETA

Why We Euthanize

Posted 03-21-2013

1,085 Comments
PETA

PETA's Statement on Eagles Vick Signing

Posted 08-14-2009

797 Comments
PETA

Do You Have 60 Seconds to Save Seals?

Posted 04-04-2011

784 Comments

PETA Tweets

Follow PETA on Twitter!

Most Shared

Feeds

_{Chicken Photo: © Rommel Manuel}

Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.

General Info:

Site Tools:

International Sites:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510 | 757-622-PETA (7382) | 757-622-0457 (fax)
PETA is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation.