If you are planning to burst crackers on Diwali, spare a thought for animals and birds which can be affected by your enjoyment.
NEW DELHI: If you are planning to burst crackers on Diwali, spare a thought for animals and birds which can be affected by your enjoyment.
Incidentally, the incredible hearing ability of the animals turns to their disadvantage during the festival of lights.
Pets like dog can hear the faintest of sound in the frequency range of 67 Hz to 45 kHz, which is "unheard of" to the human ear's high range of 20 kHz.
According to veterinary doctors and NGOs working for animal rights, during the festival of light, altered behaviour, irritability and changed eating patterns are a common feature among animals, both pet and stray.
"Birds can have heart-attacks due to the loud noise in the nights," says Gautam Gambhir of an NGO, Animal Saviour.
"Our advice to the pet owners is to be near their pets, comfort and reassure them. They can also lock the pet in a secure room and if possible a family members can be with it so that they do not turn aggressive," Geeta Sehsamani from Friendicos, an NGO for stray animals suggest.
Gambhir adds, that TV or music can be played loudly so that pets remain distracted.
"For birds, it is best to given feed early and then their cages covered with a dark cloth by afternoon so that they fall off to sleep before the crackers start bursting in the evening. It is better to keep them in some silent zones," he adds.
Seshmani and Gambhir feel that sedating the animal is not a good idea as it might become hyper.
"On Diwali, the pets should always be fed early before they become anxious. But it's not just noise that affects the animals," they said.
The fume in the air due to crackers also takes toll on the animals as it can choke their respiratory tracts, cause eye allergies and cause skin rash.
However, with no one to take care, it is the stray animals which are the worst sufferers during the festival.
Seshmani says, "In case some stray dog try to look shelter in your house then don't shoo away. It will go away when it feel safe. This is the least we can do for them."
"In many areas people tie firecrackers on dogs and donkeys' tails and enjoy the animals run around panic-stricken. In the process animals not only burn themselves but get into extreme stress condition.
"Elders should intervene and stop children from doing this inhuman act," Gambhir adds.
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