Fireworks can cause “fear and distress” in animals. Experts at Edinburgh Zoo believe the noises may have been too much for Roxie.
Roxie, a three-month-old red panda, died on November 5 at Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland, after choking on her own vomit due to stress from fireworks.
the Edinburgh Garden claims that the wildlife conservation charity’s veterinarians consider it likely that the baby panda “died due to stress caused by fireworks launched in the city center”.
“Rosie had access to her den, but the frightening noises seem to have been too much for her. We know that fireworks can stress other animals at the zoo and we cannot exclude that they may have contributed to the premature death of Roxie’s mother, Ginger, just five days earlier.”
Roxie had recently lost her mother, but “was responding well to the specialized care” of Zoo staff and was “feeding independently.”
The fireworks are due to the Bonfire Night celebrations, which mark the failed attempt by a group of Catholics to blow up the House of Lords of the English Parliament and kill the then Protestant king, on November 5, 1605.
Fireworks can cause “fear and distress to pets, farm animals and those in zoos” and, in this regard, the RZSS has called for stricter restrictions on fireworks.
“We support the calls from animal protection associations for the sale of fireworks to the public to be prohibited, with only light displays allowed at organized events”, reads a statement.
Following the death of the baby panda, a public petition with more than a million signatures was delivered to the UK Government, asking for restriction of the use of pyrotechnics.
