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Loud booms and deafening cracks sound like hell for pets
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Thundering firecrackers, bright lights and sky-illuminating fireworks signify people’s joy, yet man’s best friend the dog (canis familiaris) experiences terrifying loud sounds, confusing lights, and unpleasant noises.
The frequencies that people hear are measured in Hertz (Hz). Dogs can hear 40-45 Hz to 45,000 Hz, whereas a human can hear only 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. So, dogs can hear a wider spectrum of sounds, especially those with high frequencies.
Sudden loud sounds ignite fear, anxiety, and cause health problems such as heart conditions (tachycardia), loss of sphincter control, excessive salivation and hearing damage in dogs.
Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Firecracker explosions and fireworks unnerve dogs, cats and other pets.
As the country heralded Christmas Eve and the New Year, some dogs ran away from homes, and stray and community dogs ran helter skelter on the streets. Timid pets such as rabbits, and birds, too were affected.
Pet owner and resident of Bambalapitiya area, Jonathan Francis told the Sunday Times that he searched for his aged dog ‘Tika’ from Wednesday (January 1, 2025) afternoon after she had disappeared.
Mr Francis said he drove around the neighbourhood distributing leaflets day and night. The dog was found on Friday around 10 in the morning by a taxi driver.
Next time you light up the night sky with colourful firecrackers think of the likes of Tika (seen here with ears covered) who disappeared on January 1 and was later found
“ We have five dogs and eight cats. Two of the dogs are scared of firecrackers. Tika my 14-year-old female dog, which is a street pooch which I got from a rescue centre (embark) is the most sensitive to sound and is terrified of firecrackers,” he said.
He said that the incident happened on January 1, after they returned home from church. As it was afternoon they had let the dog out of the house, but just then someone in the neighbourhood had set off firecrackers, and the dog had run away.
“On Christmas eve we had to keep her in the car, with the air conditioner and radio on. Along with that we had to use ear muffs on her,’’ he said.
Another dog owner, B.D. Thilak Thusitha a resident of Udahamulla area told the Sunday Times that his five-year-old dog ‘Turny’ ran away after the firecrackers on 31st night.
He said that his wife had unchained the dog at about 10:30 p.m., but the pet had fled when fireworks went off in the neighbourhood.
“We were lucky to find ‘Turny’ half a kilometre away from the house. He is not used to the road, but the sounds had confused and scared him prompting him to run away,’’ he said.
Lost and found: Turny
These are only some of the few cases. There were many posts on social media groups about missing dogs.
Some ended up dead, having being knocked down by vehicles.
Animal welfare agencies and rescue centres housing numerous dogs have had a hard time tending to them.
A well known charity animal shelter at Ahangama, Animal SOS which has around 2,800 dogs, deal with agitated and stressed dogs.
According to Amal Pathirana, 35, chief marketing officer of the charity, fireworks are a challenge as most dogs become agitated and start barking and howling.
Besides, some dogs that are extremely skittish and sensitive to sound, die of stress and fear. “We have 550 disabled animals with special needs, some have mobility issues, and those animals get scared,’’ he said.
Sahana Ravishaker, founder of a charity “Purrs and Woofs SL. Pic by Eshan Fernando
He said that neighbours have had to live with the sounds of dogs barking in unison so awareness was raised about how crackers badly affect dogs.
Mr Pathirana said adults will not change, so awareness should be raised among schoolchildren.
Sahana Ravishankar, founder of a charity “Purrs and Woofs SL” said she has 12 dogs and nine cats in her residence in the Mirihana area. She said thery are afraid of the thundering sounds of firecrackers.
She keeps animals locked indoors when neighbours set off firecrackers.
She said many street dogs fled on New Year’s Eve. “I feed street dogs too. On the 31st it was hard for me to find the dogs and cats, and I could not feed them properly as they had fled.’’
| Sensitive hearing make pets vulnerable An expert on animal communication as well as professor in zoology at the University of Colombo, Sampath Seneviratne explained that human hearing is weak compared with other mammals such as dogs, cats, leopards and elephants. He explained that even though human’s primary sensory is sight, hearing is a secondary sensory method, yet when it comes to dogs, bats and cats their primary sensory is hearing, therefore they have much more sensitive hearing as well as well-developed ears. “Even though the sound of a firecracker is enjoyable, for pet dogs, the sudden loud sound is too much, it scares them and could even make them deaf,’’ he said. Even birds are severely affected because they have sensitive hearing. Prof Seneviratne said that even though birds’ primary sensory organs are eyes they too use hearing as a secondary sensory method. Even though they lack external ears their ear drums are located not too deep from the surface of their faces. Some birds die due to stress caused by firecracker explosions while some get caught by predators as their movements change as they get disturbed by the sounds and lights emitted by the cracker, he said.
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| Explosions condemn animals to life of fear and sickness Colombo Municipal Council’s chief veterinary surgeon Dr. M Ijas said dogs and cats run away from homes and hide due to their fight or flight response. Explosions scare dogs and cats which have sensitive hearing. The animals exhibit behavioural changes due to stress hormones being released. He said dogs and cats experience anxiety as well as sometimes develop a phobia to loud sounds. The harsh experience could lead to health issues such as deafness, tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and even shock. He explained that dogs may go off food, try to hide or run away and even wander on roads. They then get lost due to confusion and fear caused by sounds of explosions. “Most lost pet dogs hide in abandoned areas, as they are unfamiliar with surroundings and are afraid that other dogs might attack them for entering their territory. So finding them becomes challenging,’’ he said. Dr. Ijas says pet owners should keep dogs chained, or in a kennel where they feel secure. He said pets need to be comforted when they get agitated due to loud noise. | |
| Few legislators impeded path to updated law Animal welfare activist, member, animal welfare steering committee and former additional secretary (legal), Ministry of Justice, Lalani Perera told the Sunday Times that one fifth of companion animals are said to disappear due to loud noises. Crackers and fireworks are popular in Sri Lankan celebrations and are used to mark important occasions like the dawn of a new year, or a wedding, or a festival. “Sri Lanka’s existing law in this instance is archaic to the core. That law, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance enacted in 1907 is fast reaching a century and a quarter. The relevant offence in that Ordinance is “terrifying” an animal, and the maximum punishment, a jail term less than three months or a fine not exceeding Rs100,’’ she said. Some countries have banned fireworks. Some require mandatory notice of an intention to hold fireworks displays. However, some limitations have been imposed not due to animal welfare considerations, but due to concerns regarding fire hazards. The Animal Welfare Bill, recommended by Sri Lanka’s Law Commission nearly two decades ago to replace the existing Ordinance, will bring our law into conformity with global animal welfare norms where animals are recognized as “non-human persons” and not mere chattel. That bill conveys an important message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated, and a 2019 Court of Appeal directive has called for its expeditious enactment. In the proposed law the punishments have been substantially enhanced. For “terrifying” an animal the jail term extends to two years and fines to Rs.75,000. The bill was presented in Parliament in 2022, and was awaiting debate when the session was dissolved last September. Despite support from a majority of legislators a few who are politically connected to the agriculture sector stalled its advance. They offered flimsy excuses that the government will lose farmers’ votes, if animals used in agriculture are required to be treated humanely. |
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