Just ahead of bonfire night, a Labour council has banned fireworks as last year the Edinburgh Zoo vets blamed them for killing red pandas in stressful reaction to the display. According to the wildlife conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns Edinburgh Zoo, the three-month-old panda kit Roxie choked on her own vomit. According to The Telegraph, the ban will cover nine Edinburgh neighbourhoods from Halloween until November 9, after the city council expanded the restricted areas following last year’s trial.
Firework control zones were first introduced by the Edinburgh City Council in Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie and Seafield last August. The council has voted to extend the bans to Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone, Sighthill and Corstorphine, where Edinburgh Zoo and its red pandas live.
Ben Supple, the chief executive of the RZSS, said: “We are very grateful to the council for creating a fireworks exclusion zone around Edinburgh Zoo.
“Roxie sadly choked to death on her sick last bonfire night and it is very likely that this was due to stress from fireworks. The loud bangs would have been incredibly frightening for her and fireworks may have also contributed to the death of her mum Ginger five days earlier.”
City of Edinburgh Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “One of things I experienced in November was how alternatives to fireworks can be really successful and happy. I went to a couple of events that didn’t rely on fireworks and they were just wonderful and heartwarming.”
Will Evans, director of Titanium Fireworks, creators of Edinburgh’s annual Hogmanay fireworks display, said the industry is worried about the suffering of animals during fireworks display. He said: “As an industry these are areas we are working on… We will always advocate for the strict use of fireworks, sensibly, in the right place at the right time.”
Following the initial ban last year, one Reddit user commented: “I love fireworks and don’t have a dog. I’m very happy going to see an organised display. I have absolutely no need to set off explosives in my own street to enjoy myself. I see no good reason to continue selling them to the general public, and many very convincing reasons not to. I hope this is the start of a wider fireworks ban.”
Other internet users generally support the ban, with one commenting: “Wow Labour actually doing a good thing.”