Saginaw Offered $5,000 to Use Spectacular Silent Fireworks This Year

City’s Crowdfunding Effort Prompts PETA Proposal: Use Non-Explosive Fireworks, Which Offer a Stress-Free Show for Wildlife, Prevent Dogs and Cats From Becoming Lost, and More

For Immediate Release:
February 24, 2017

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Saginaw, Mich. –

The Saginaw Area Fireworks committee has turned to crowdfunding to raise money for its annual fireworks show, prompting PETA to send the committee’s president a letter offering to contribute $5,000—if the city switches to silent fireworks, which create a stunning show without the war-like explosions that scare off nesting birds, cause dogs and cats to run for their lives, and upset humans, including the elderly and soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who are sensitive to loud noises.

Silent fireworks rely on rich color effects and visual choreography and offer a stress-free celebration for everyone. Animal shelters nationwide report an increase in the number of lost dogs and cats following fireworks displays. Often, dogs go missing because they panic and jump over fences or even jump through glass windows to escape the terrifying sounds. Loud fireworks displays also alter animals’ breeding behavior and send wildlife racing onto roads, where they may be injured or killed.

“By offering sensational but silent fireworks, Saginaw can prevent dogs, cats, wildlife, and humans suffering from PTSD from being bombarded by loud noises,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA stands ready to help the city put on the first major U.S. Fourth of July display that delivers all the flash without the frightening noise.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—encourages families to protect their animal companions during fireworks displays by keeping them indoors (and, if possible, staying with them), never leaving them tethered outside, and turning on the TV or the radio to help drown out the sound of the fireworks.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.