The Scottish SPCA has launched a campaign calling for a UK-wide ban on the private sale and use of fireworks, releasing images that show the injuries animals can suffer.
The animal welfare charity is pressing for the ban ahead of Bonfire Night, warning that pets, livestock and wildlife are being left injured, traumatised and even killed as fireworks are set off across the country.
Cat injured on Bonfire Night
Photographs released by the charity show a cat that was struck by a firework on Bonfire Night in 2022. The animal was taken into the Scottish SPCA's care and needed months of extensive treatment before it could be rehomed the following March.
Another pet owner described how her dog Maya almost ran into traffic after youths launched rockets near her in a park. She said: “When Maya was a puppy, I was doing some recall training with her in our local park during our lunchtime walk.
“Two youths thought it was a good idea to let off rockets in the park. The first rocket landed close to her and she got a fright. The second rocket landed right beside her.
“Maya bolted up the hill, heading for the road before I had the chance to get to her. I thought she was going to run straight into the path of a car and be hurt or killed.
“Eventually I heard her whimpering and found her, cowering in the middle of a bush absolutely terrified. It took me ages to get her to come out, she was so scared.
“I would ban fireworks completely - they cause distress to domestic pets, hurt wildlife and cause damage to their habitats.”
Red panda deaths linked to fireworks
The Record previously reported how three-month-old red panda Roxie died at Edinburgh Zoo after choking on her own vomit from "stress" caused by fireworks exploding across the city. Her mother Ginger had also died unexpectedly five days earlier, with her death suspected to have been linked to fireworks.
The Scottish SPCA wants private fireworks banned while allowing professionally organised displays to continue under controlled conditions.
Charity calls for stronger protections
Nicola Strachan, Head of Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships at the Scottish SPCA, said: “For many animals, fireworks are far more than a few moments of noise. The fear can continue long after a display ends, and the consequences can be devastating.
“Preventable suffering is unacceptable. Where an animal is injured or loses its life because of fireworks, we cannot simply dismiss this as an unfortunate consequence of people enjoying themselves. No celebration can justify a death or injury that could have been avoided.
“Our staff see the distress fireworks cause to animals in our care, but this reaches far beyond our centres. It affects pets in people’s homes, horses in fields and stables, livestock on farms and wildlife with nowhere safe to retreat.
“We are asking governments to take that harm seriously and put stronger protections in place.”
The charity is also backing a 90 dB noise limit as an interim measure and urging the Scottish Government to introduce a clear timetable for public licensing and restrictions on firework sales.
Nicola added: “There is a shared responsibility to protect animals, from the decisions governments make to the way celebrations are planned. Owners can take precautions, but they cannot reliably prepare for fireworks when they do not know when or where they will be set off.
"Wildlife has no one to make those preparations on its behalf. We need lasting change that prevents harm, alongside practical support to help people protect animals now.”
