Niagara Falls Tourism Is PETA’s Grinch of the Year
For Immediate Release:
December 14, 2022
Contact:
Robin Goist 202-483-7382
For hosting nearly nightly fireworks shows since May despite hearing from PETA and nearly 60,000 of its members and supporters that the explosions terrify animals, some of whom flee their homes in fear and even get hit by cars, as well as veterans and other noise-sensitive individuals, Niagara Falls Tourism is PETA’s 2022 Grinch of the Year and will receive a certificate of shame as well as a lump of coal from the group.
“Niagara Falls Tourism’s small heart won’t let visitors enjoy one of the world’s greatest natural wonders without a constant barrage of explosions that leave animals running for their lives, and that makes it a grinch in our book,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “All we want for Christmas is for the organization to stop causing vulnerable individuals harm and distress with its shameful fireworks shtick.”
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. Pyrotechnics also release toxic gases and heavy metals, which can increase the amount of pollutants in the air by up to 42%.
Earlier this year, PETA erected sky-high appeals that urged Niagara Falls Tourism to end its fireworks displays and sent a letter to its president and CEO suggesting drone or laser light shows, which are safer and produce virtually no pollution.
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.
