Fireworks Scare Animals to Death—Literally; PETA Asks ‘Let Freedom Sing!’ to Make Drone Show the Main Event
For Immediate Release:
May 30, 2024
Contact:
Reed Bolonyi 202-483-7382
Dogs break through fences in terror, birds abandon their nests, and panicked animals flee onto roadways during fireworks shows. That’s why PETA sent a letter to Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Chair Ken Levitan this morning, asking him to nix the Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th fireworks display—which USA Today notes uses over 40,000 pounds of explosives—and stick to dazzling attendees with its equally impressive drone show, which is safer for animals, veterans, and anyone else sensitive to loud noises or smoke. In return, the group is offering to provide free vegan hot dogs for the Independence Day festivities.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Levitan follows.
May 30, 2024
Ken Levitan
Chair
Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
Dear Mr. Levitan:
I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, including tens of thousands across Tennessee—ahead of this year’s Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event with a request: Would you please cancel the fireworks this year for the sake of people sensitive to loud noises, including veterans of wars, and animals who panic and flee from their homes and their young and switch to using only drones in your show? Fireworks release sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide, which have a detrimental impact on air quality. If you agree to do so, we’ll send free vegan hot dogs and buns for everyone to enjoy during the celebration.
Traditional fireworks sound like an all-out war to dogs and cats—and their use has devastating consequences. More dogs run away on the Fourth of July than on any other date, and animal shelters report an increase in lost dogs and cats following fireworks displays. Terrified dogs often climb, break, or dig their way out of wherever they are as they frantically try to escape the chaos, resulting in increased intake at animal shelters, which further strains community resources. Many dogs arrive with bloody paws or broken bones, and some are never reunited with their families. Some don’t even make it to shelters—they’re hit by cars or strangled when their collars become caught on fences. Nashville’s own Metro Animal Care and Control reported its shelter was “filled to the brink” following last year’s July 4th fireworks.
Fireworks also produce smoke and dust laden with toxic particles that are harmful to the respiratory systems of humans and other animals and cause fear, stress, and anxiety in sensitive wildlife, companion animals, children, the elderly, and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, which can be triggered by the fireworks’ sights, sounds, or odors. Startled birds have abandoned their nests and crashed into homes, windows, or each other. In one instance, more than 5,000 dead or dying red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky during a fireworks display in Beebe, Arkansas. Scientists discovered that in reaction to fireworks shows, waterfowl fly en masse to dangerously high altitudes and stay aloft for as long as 45 minutes, leaving them exhausted and vulnerable.
The Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event already offers so much. Please consider canceling the fireworks display and using only the drones—which are safer, produce virtually no air pollution, and are an increasingly popular option. If you do so, you’ll be in good company—many cities today, including SeaTac, Washington, and Park City, Utah, will feature quieter, visually stunning July 4th drone-only shows. Thanks for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid Newkirk
President
