While people are all excited to celebrate Deepavali, animal lovers and non-profit organisations have given a call to celebrate a safer, kinder festival this year. As the sound of firecrackers usually startle animals, with some even ending up injured, animal activists have several tips for pet owners and those who care for street animals.
Guidelines under #DoggyDiwali campaign
Schedule their walking time to be when there is less noise, no cracker so that they are relaxed and not stressed.
Fix a Feeding time to be when there is no cracker bursting.
Let them sleep. It is good if they sleep a lot as it calms them.
Try to keep them calm as much as possible which makes them better equipped to face the firecracker / noise pollution situation.
Games involving mental stimulation, slowing down are best to help them to be calm.
Talk to people around to get some safe place for the streeties or find temporary shelter.
For starters, they are urging people to avoid bursting crackers not just from the point of view of animals but also for the sake of the environment. “Crackers are harming the environment. Pets, street dogs and birds are getting more affected,” said Sanjana Madappa, trustee of Second Chance Sanctuary India at CUPA.
She also mentioned precautions that people should take to keep their pets safe during Deepavali. “If the pets are very afraid of the noise, then the best thing is to take them out of the city where there is no noise. People should not leave their pets alone at home and go for celebrations because at the end of the day, our pets come to us for comfort and protection. If pets are alone at home, they get more traumatised. Pet owners can also play music loudly or increase the volume on their televisions to keep the noise from reaching the pets’ ears,“ she said.
#DoggyDiwali campaign
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, founder of CJ Memorial Trust, is also running campaigns to educate people to celebrate a safer and kinder festival under the hashatgs #HappyKindDiwali and #DoggyDiwali. The campaign has put out a list of dos and don’ts related to the animals, including feeding them when there is no sound of crackers, taking them on walks when people are not bursting crackers and taking street dogs to the hospital if they are injured.
“Animals are the most helpless in the society and because they do not have their own voice, and we should help them. It is very sad that most people do not even know that burning crackers is not legal after the designated time slots. Let us help the animals to stay stress free and safe during every Deepavali,” Ms Rajagopal said.