Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, 2013. All Rights Reserved
On the way home from the ocean, just before sundown yesterday evening, I passed a field where a local elk herd can often be seen peacefully grazing or lounging at the edge of the forest. This time the elk were running away from some unseen threat. Being as it was July 3rd and considering the number of fireworks stands around, there was no sense second-guessing what was frightening them—fireworks!
Despite the increasing fire danger this time of year and regardless of who or what they might annoy, celebratory Americans can’t seem to resist launching their little rockets and lighting off their pocket-sized explosives. Those without their own box of bombs compensate by shooting their semi-automatics ‘till the cows flee home.
What a thrill—but not for everyone. While people play their war games, the wildlife head for the hills. To them, the sound of fireworks and gunfire are synonymous: they both spell human-up-to-no-good. As the raucous revelers express their right to be obnoxious assholes, the non-human animals—much more in tune with the senses—have to live in terror. Don’t believe it? Just look at your family pet.
And all so we can relive a war over and over. But the one good thing about war: while humans are busy fighting with each other each other, they don’t have as much time to torment the wildlife. Also, from the scavengers’ perspective, there’s sometimes a lot of fresh carrion left on the battlefield.
Exposing the Big Game 
My sentiments exactly. There will be many small (probably) fires started tonight in the tinderbox dry foothills near where I live, and the terror experienced by all critters breaks my heart. I simply don’t understand the “thrill” and do not relate to it at all.
Me either. Keep us posted…
I hate the 4th of July, even though I loved fireworks as a child, that was ignorant bliss (the state many people stay in for life, or until reality knocks them down hard at some point). The terror many animals experience should stop people from doing this crap. I hadn’t realized about the wildlife being terrified as well, thought it was mainly dogs because of their sensitive ears. What is this fireworks thing other than people eating animals, drinking beer, and dazzling their dull selves with pyrotechnics & bomb sounds, without a care about all those dogs who run away from home in extreme terror. I hate the New Year BS for this reason too, and around my old neighborhood ALL “holidays” are now firecracker/barbecue/beer days for the dimmest of people. People’s ignorant bliss is responsible for so much wrong, so much suffering. “God”…hah.
I had a dog run away from home and never return during duck hunting season–too many shotgun shots for her…
An anonymous neighbor posted signs here asking people to call out anyone using illegal fireworks because of the disruption they cause for animals. In public discussion and blogs, the gesture was ridiculed — as in “get a life, you’re trying to infringe on my freedom to have fun.” I am beyond dismayed over how the rhetoric in this country is now so juvenile as to denigrate every compassionate act as a measure to take away someone else’s “fun.” I guess we can thank 30 years of social and political indoctrination for the heartless ethic that prevails now.
Don’t infringe on their freedom to be annoying.
Exactly! I don’t really enjoy fireworks anymore either. Too loud, and I don’t know why people insist upon being loud.
Good question…