Guy Fawkes Night originates from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed conspiracy by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and replace him with a Catholic head of state.
In the immediate aftermath of the 5 November arrest of Guy Fawkes, caught guarding a cache of explosives placed beneath the House of Lords, James’s Council allowed the public to celebrate the king’s survival with bonfires, so long as they were “without any danger or disorder”. Fireworks are almost always present on the night, and nights leading up to the event, which results in hundreds of pets being left a bit shaken by the loud noises.
A pet owner says that her puppy died of a heart attack after being terrified by firework displays in the local area. Susan Paterson wrote in a Facebook post that Molly had died of a heart attack caused by fireworks near her home in South Yorkshire, England.
“Due to the enormous amount of fireworks with loud bangs going off around Wombwell and lower Darfield last night, we lost a young terrier with a heart attack,” Paterson wrote in the post.
“Please think of the animals. Molly was only 18 weeks old and died of FRIGHT caused by fireworks.”
https://www.change.org/p/office-for-product-safety-and-standards-review-firework-rules-to-protect-animals-from-injury-an…
Posted by Susan Paterson on Sunday, 3 November 2019
An RSPCA spokesperson said that intense fear or stress can damage health or exacerbate an underlying condition.
Susan urged people to sign a petition calling for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public. The petition has received over 250,000 signatures so far.
“The noise from fireworks causes a great amount of fear, stress and anxiety in wild animals,” the petition reads.
“Errant fireworks can also cause environmental damage through fires, and from the release of poisonous chemicals and particle-laden smoke, which is not just inhaled by wildlife, but contaminates the natural environment.”
