Fireworks carnage worst ever: SPCA

SCORES of animals, especially dogs, were either killed, maimed or injured – or went missing – during the past festive season’s volley of fireworks – described by the SPCA as ‘the worst ever’.

Sylvia Breitenstein of the SPCA in Windhoek told The Namibian that in her more than ten years of service at the association she has never seen anything like it.
‘We were out all night over the New Year. Dogs were hanging themselves over gates and fences in an attempt to escape the noise; animals were run over by cars; and even the vets were full of animal patients that sustained injuries, or were in severe shock,’ she said.
According to her, the phone was ringing non-stop as pet owners reported lost dogs after the New Year, and she expects a lot more people to call in.
‘Many people left Windhoek to go on holiday, leaving their pets behind.
‘They’ll come back and find their dogs missing. This is usually the case,’ Breitenstein said.
She said although there is a ban against the use of fireworks in municipal areas, ‘people just did not care’, and it was very hard for the Police to control.
Many shops also sold fireworks to anyone who asked, suggesting there was no control there either.
Breitenstein suggested that a permit system be implemented by the municipalities or the Ministry of Environment and Tourism that will force ‘pyromaniacs’ to use fireworks in designated areas outside towns, and pay a reasonable fee for the permit.
Shops selling fireworks and crackers should be ordered to only sell pyrotechnics to customers who present such a permit.
According to her, this will not only regulate the use of fireworks, but also guarantee a small income for the municipalities or the Government.
‘My question is though: is this type of fun really worth the chaos and pain it causes,’ she asked.
In Swakopmund, where the majority of partygoers accumulated, fireworks and crackers also exploded in residential areas.
Several pet owners told The Namibian that they had to sedate their animals with ‘heavy medication’ to dull the shock.
Others described how their dogs tried to bite through wire fences, or scratch through doors in order to escape. This obviously led to much injury. Many animals also went missing.
Swakopmund vet Hartmut Winterbach’s own dog also went missing during the New Year from his home in Swakopmund. The dog was found dead between Mile 4 and Mile 8 a couple of days later.
Winterbach said the dog most likely ran away from the noise, but he could not say what killed it.
Swakopmund’s SPCA was not available comment, but indications are that they also received many reports of missing animals over the New Year.