GAIA, an animal protection association, called on Wednesday for a ban on fireworks sales due to their “dramatic” consequences for domestic and wild animals.
In an open letter addressed to political party leaders and co-signed by over eighty associations, GAIA highlighted the severe stress, injuries, and sometimes cardiac arrests that fireworks cause in pets.
The organisation noted the heavy impact on wildlife, stating that explosions lead to panic among hundreds of thousands of birds each year, resulting in deaths from exhaustion or collisions.
GAIA also criticised the environmental impact of fireworks, which release millions of fine particles and large amounts of gas into the atmosphere.
This call for a ban aligns with existing actions at the communal and provincial levels. According to a July 2024 survey by GAIA, 98% of Walloon communes have already implemented restrictions or bans on fireworks.
“Fireworks cause avoidable tragedies for both animals and humans. To do nothing is to be complicit in this suffering,” concluded Gaia’s Operations Director, Sébastien de Jonge.
