What’s the issue?

Fireworks are sold as harmless fun. They’re not. Sudden bangs and flashes cause fear and confusion for animals who cannot predict or escape the noise. Debris and chemicals fall back to earth. The harm doesn’t end when the smoke clears.

How fireworks harm animals

Animals held captive in zoos

Fireworks harm animals held captive in zoos through physical injury, mental distress, and chemical poisoning, with the loud noises causing serious stress that can lead to panic, flight, and injury. 

Freedom for Animals have previously reported on zoos either using fireworks on their own grounds, or being logistically close to external fireworks displays in the surrounding environment. In Edinburgh in 2024, this may have even resulted in the death of a red panda cub, called Roxie. Roxie was said to have choked on her own vomit, with vets apparently stating it was possibly due to the stress of the noise caused by fireworks. 

Companion animals

Dogs, cats and small animals often panic at the first bang. They hide, shake, bolt from homes and gardens, and some never make it back or die from shock. Vets see injuries from escape attempts causing cuts, traffic collisions, and fatal shock. Guardians also suffer the stress of watching a loved individual tremble in fear.

We all know dogs fear fireworks, fear isn’t a celebration.

Horses and other equines

Startled horses and other equines can crash through fences or collide with stable doors. Even a short burst of local fireworks can lead to life-changing injuries. The guardians of these animals often have to spend long, stressful nights on watch because the risk is so high, especially at animal sanctuaries for example.

Animals who are farmed

Fireworks near fields and sheds can cause panic in herds of cows or flocks of sheep. In confined spaces, this fear risks animals trampling each other or crashing against fixtures in their already confined spaces.

Free-living animals

Birds flush from roosts, flying into darkness and hazards. Hedgehogs and other small mammals can be disturbed from nests, and even bonfires built in advance can inadvertently hide sleeping individuals and put them at risk of death. Aquatic life is negatively impacted too, when debris and chemicals land in ponds, rivers and the sea.

Pollution and debris

The colours and effects we see in fireworks come from metals and oxidisers that add to air and water pollution. The smoke they produce can reduce air quality in minutes. Paper, plastic and unexploded components also litter streets, parks and waterways. If this isn’t cleaned up, wildlife pays the price.

The morning after, litter from fireworks 

Are fireworks vegan?

Causing unnecessary suffering or mental distress to another being can never be vegan. Even where animals are not physically injured as a result of a firework display, it is very hard to mitigate or fully comprehend the level of mental suffering they can cause.

Also, many fireworks even use binders and additives such as stearic acid. Stearic acid can be sourced from animal fat or plants, but manufacturers don’t always say which they use. That uncertainty matters. If we want celebrations that do not rely on animals in any way, or cause unnecessary suffering, fireworks are a poor fit.

Change is possible

Some retailers have stepped back from selling fireworks. Councils and venues increasingly choose quieter, more ethical alternatives, and communities are trialling drone or laser shows that people can enjoy without frightening animals or polluting the environment.

That’s the change we need to see happen: celebrations which do not come at the expense of animals and the planet.

Drone shows, the kinder way to celebrate 

What you can do today

Choose firework-free celebrations. Enjoy laser shows, lantern walks (wildlife-safe), or community light projections.

Ask your council and local venues to switch to animal-friendly alternatives and limit noisy displays.

Protect neighbours - human and non-human. Share dates and times if a nearby venue plans an unethical display; keep gardens secure; bring companions indoors; stable horses early.

Check for wildlife before lighting any bonfire, and if you do have them ensure you are moving piles on the day, not in advance.

Spread the word. Share this blog and talk to friends about kinder, more ethical options for celebratory fun. There must be a complete review of the current firework regulations in the UK, and public support can help ensure this happens!