Every Deepavali, Facebook message boards and rescue pages light up with SOS calls. Distraught owners post pictures of their missing pets who find ingenious ways to ‘escape’ their leashes during walks, or squeeze through locked gates in an instant, when the fireworks begin. Animals often dash into traffic in a blind panic when the noise does not stop. “The number of accidents is always higher than on normal days,” says Shravan Krishnan, Chennai-based animal rescuer and coordinator, Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary. “This year, there were 50 injuries. One had an emergency amputation. We also found four dogs, three of whom were reunited with their owners.”
He reveals, however, that it was not as bad as years past. “I’m happy that it’s come down, compared to two years ago. We’re heading in the right direction,” says Krishnan, who appeals to owners to add phone number tags to their dogs’ collars. For those who have adopted Indian dogs, he strongly recommends getting their ears notched to indicate that they have been spayed or neutered. “This way, they won’t get picked up for birth control if they get lost. It is very important to do this before next Deepavali,” he says.
Bengaluru too has seen a drop in firecrackers, as observed by Sudha Narayan, Managing Trustee, CARE (Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre). She chalks it up to greater awareness amongst children, on account of humane education programmes like the ones CARE conducts. “Children came to spend Deepavali at the shelter,” she says. Narayan reports that despite the improvement, the helpline received countless anxious phone calls from owners whose pets were missing. She and her volunteers searched the premises, hoping to match the pictures they received with an animal in treatment, but have had no luck yet. She reveals that in the meantime, the shelter pets resorted to frenzied barking and hiding under chairs every time the firecrackers were burst.
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For Hyderabad-based Mona Kumar, the past week was harrowing. Her rescued kitten, Misha, went missing for three days from her adopter’s house. She was finally found in the same complex, when the sound subsided enough for her to hear her owner’s voice and step out from hiding. Meanwhile, a dog that people in her locality care for was spotted with a large wound that appeared to be a straight line, possibly from accidentally sitting on a sparkler that had just been burnt. “We have medications on standby and are on the lookout for her,” she says. Other community dogs had been starving, as every time they approached their regular feeding spot, an explosion in the vicinity sent them scurrying, leaving behind uneaten rice and chapatis. “It’s not helping the animals, it’s not helping the environment,” she says. She endorses the growing call for a fireworks-free Deepavali, and signs off with this thought: “Compassion and consideration towards fellow beings will only make your festival and culture more meaningful — never less.”