Impact on Wildlife
's three-month-old red panda, Roxie, died likely due to stress from fireworks, highlighting the impact of such noise on animals. The zoo's deputy chief executive, Ben Supple, mentioned the noise might have caused Roxie to choke on her vomit.
Roxie's mother, , died just five days earlier, with the zoo unable to rule out fireworks noise as a contributing factor to her death. This incident has intensified calls for tighter firework regulations.
Campaign for Change
A petition with over 1.1 million signatures demanding stricter firework sale regulations was delivered to the . Campaigners advocate for a ban on public sales, allowing only organized events to prevent animal distress.
The Scottish community safety minister acknowledged the issue but stated it wasn't within the Scottish government's powers, although local firework control zones were implemented in Edinburgh. The UK Department for Business and Trade emphasized their commitment to fireworks safety.