Danger Ahead! Niagara Falls Fireworks Prompt Sky-High PETA Appeals
For Immediate Release:
June 14, 2022
Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382
Because nightly fireworks have started and are scheduled to continue through October, PETA has erected three new can’t-miss messages to push Niagara Falls Tourism to ditch the displays. Featuring a skull made of smoke and fireworks, PETA’s appeals remind everyone that pyrotechnics terrify wildlife, companion animals, and vulnerable humans, including those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The action comes on the heels of PETA’s letter to the president and CEO of Niagara Falls Tourism, Janice Thomson, advising her to swap the fireworks for a drone or laser light show, which are safer and produce virtually no pollution.
“Fireworks’ ear-shattering explosions are nightmarish for wildlife as well as cats and dogs, some of whom flee their homes in fear and even get hit by cars,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Niagara Falls Tourism to pack up the pyrotechnics and embrace modern summer festivities that leave everyone in peace.”
When fireworks go off, animal shelters report a spike in the number of lost dogs and other animals who have jumped fences and broken through windows and screen doors in an attempt to escape the noises—which can also cause panicked wildlife to flee onto roads and can be deeply distressing to military veterans and other noise-sensitive individuals. Pyrotechnics also create highly toxic gases—including mercury, carbon monoxide, aluminum, and sulfur—which can increase the amount of pollutants in the air by up to 42%.
Two billboards are located at 5685 Falls Ave., and another is near the intersection of Stanley Avenue and Main Street. The ads are not only close to the offices of Niagara Falls Tourism but also near Queen Victoria Park and Oakes Garden Theatre—places from which many people commonly view fireworks—and popular tourist destinations, including Rainbow Bridge, Hard Rock Cafe, Crowne Plaza, and Casino Niagara.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
