23/05/2025
Saturday the 24th of May is cracker night!
While this is exciting for many of us humans, it can be an incredibly terrifying experience for our animals.
The loud noise and bright lights leave pets frightened, confused and disoriented. Out of fear, they may behave in ways they usually wouldn’t.
Here are some ways to calm your animals and help keep them safe while the fireworks are happening:
-Exercise your dog in the few hours prior to cracker night beginning at 6pm.
-Feed them a meal an hour or so before the fire works start.
- Stay at home to supervise your pets if possible. If it isn’t possible for you or a family member to be at home, try to make other arrangements for your pets.
-Keep your animals inside if possible - frightened animals may go into flight mode and fences or enclosures that are normally secure may be escaped during a panic.
-Horses should be stabled securely, or moved to a property away from the fireworks if possible. Check all fences to ensure they are secure, remove any sharp objects that have the potential to cause harm. Horses are especially prone to injuring themselves on fences, tree branches etc.
-Keep to your normal routine as much as possible.
- Distract your pet with treats, games, meal time and attention.
- Close all windows, doors, curtains and blinds. Turn on the tv or some music.
-Ensure your pet has a safe place to hide. This may be their usual bed or kennel, or an area created just for tonight, for example, a cardboard box or table with a blanket over it. Cats will usually prefer to find their own hiding place.
-Ensure they have food and water available.
-Do not punish your pet for being frightened.
- Do not tether your dog or use a choke chain, they can tangle and choke themselves when panicking.
-Do not leave your animals outside unsupervised.
-Ensure your pet is microchipped and has your contact information on a collar ID tag so you can be reunited if they escape.
Remember that it’s not only domestic animals that are affected - wildlife are frightened and disoriented by the fireworks too! Please be careful when driving on the roads and keep a look out for all kinds of animals on the road.
If you find injured wildlife:
- Place in a warm, dark place. Depending on species this could be a cardboard box with a towel inside, or a pillow case, Joey pouch or pet carrier.
- Contact Bonorong Wildlife rescue on 0447264625. This is a 24/7 service, available Tasmania wide.
Many pets will unfortunately escape their homes and become lost during the fireworks. If you find a lost pet:
- Approach with caution, they may react out of fear.
- Try to safely contain the animal in a cage or yard if safe to do so.
- Check for injury; if an injury requiring veterinary care is present, please call an after hours Veterinarian for further advice or instructions.
- Check for an ID tag if safe to do so.
- Check and reach out to neighbours and your local community Facebook groups with a picture, description and location of the animal.
- Tasmanian Lost Pets Register is a page created solely to reunite lost pets with their owners, please check carefully and message admin to create a post.
- Provide water and food if possible and keep safely contained until either the owners are found, or you can take them into a vet clinic to be scanned for a microchip.
If your pet escapes:
- Search CALMLY, yelling loudly may frighten them more.
- Alert neighbours and local communities to keep an eye out.
- Search the Tasmanian Lost Pets Register page and message admin to create a post.
- Provide a hiding place for them at your door with a bed, food and water in case they come back and you are out.
- Keep searching - frightened animals may freeze and hide or they may keep running.
Go to worksafe.tas.gov.au for a list of registered fireworks displays in Tasmania to see if there will be any near you.
And don't forget UVC are available for out of hours emergencies. Please be safe!
