Animal Friendly Bonfire Night

Animals and bonfire night are not the best mix, the days and weeks which lead up bonfire night can be extremely stressful for pets. Some pets can suffer extreme anxiety either by hiding or running away. One way of spotting this stress could be that the animal may pace up and down, tremble, become destructive, there could be unexpected soiling or panting to name but a few.

There are many ways of keeping your animals calm during fireworks, one of the ways is by preparing them in advance. The RSPCA has some top tips and useful information on dealing with your animals during bonfire night, this includes information about dogs, cats, other small animals and horses you can read this by clicking here.

If you are planning on holding your own bonfire night you also need to be aware of how this can effect wildlife. Hedgehogs, toads, frogs and newts are particularly vulnerable as they may seek shelter from the harsh weather by mistaking your bonfire for a pile of leaves and logs.

Always make sure that you check your bonfire before lighting it by using a torch just to make sure that it is not being used as shelter by nay wildlife. Some animal charities recommend that you create small piles of wood and leaves as an alternative shelter a few days before building you bonfire. And if you do find any animals like hedgehogs nesting then pick them up using gloves and move them underneath a tree or shrubs, somewhere which is sheltered and not exposed to frost. You can find more information about how to have a wildlife friendly bonfire night by visiting the Wildlife Watch website by clicking here.