PETA Offers to Help Finance Laser Show if Town Makes Fireworks Suspension Permanent

Scarborough – Following Scarborough officials’ compassionate decision to nix a New Year’s Eve fireworks display to avoid distressing an Arctic walrus spotted on shore, PETA is offering to contribute funding for a crowd-pleasing laser show if town leaders decide to turn the suspension into a permanent ban.

“Scarborough’s leadership started the new year with compassion and could protect even more animals in the future by choosing a spectacular and stress-free laser light show that delivers all the flash without the fright,” says PETA Vice President Elisa Allen. “PETA is eager to help the town dazzle audiences with a stunning show that leaves wildlife and companion animals in peace.”

PETA points out that fireworks’ terrifying booms cause wildlife and companion animals confusion and panic. Following conventional fireworks displays, animal rescue centres often see an increase in the number of lost dogs, many of whom panic and break loose from leads or jump over fences or even through glass windows in an attempt to get away from the terrifying sounds. Loud displays also scare wild animals, such as deer, causing them to flee onto roads, where they are at risk of being struck and killed by vehicles and endanger drivers. And the stress isn’t limited to animals: noise-sensitive children, elderly people, veterans, and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder can also find the noise of the explosives disturbing.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. The group’s letter to the Mayor of Scarborough is available here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Sascha Camilli +44 (0) 20 7923 6244; [email protected].uk

#