BENGALURU: While Deepavali lights up your homes and streets, the walls of animal rescue centres are filled with the painful barks and howls of helpless animals who are unwitting victims of the celebrations.
Bengaluru rescue centres have seen an increase in animal abuse and injuries due to crackers.
“Almost 30-40 cases were reported over the past 4-5 days,” said Lakshmi Swaminathan, founder, Mylos Rescue. “Some of the most disturbing incidents involve abuse. There were a couple of cases where dogs’ legs were tied with crackers. In one case, children at a construction site had done this, and we had to rescue the dog after receiving a call,” she recalled. “There are also cases where frightened dogs enter apartments, refuse to leave, and people call us saying they’re being aggressive, but they’re just scared,” she added.
Kirtan Aarti, manager at Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE), shared that along Ballari Main Road and the airport flyover, seven to eight dogs were found dead, run over by vehicles as they tried to escape the sound of crackers.
“They run towards quieter areas like highways or open spaces and end up losing their lives,” he added.
“We got multiple calls from Ullal, Kengeri and Banashankari, where a dog had been severely abused -- crackers were put in its mouth and burst. Sadly, we couldn’t save it,” said Rajkumar, founder of Little Hearts Animal Healing Rescue Centre.
“In total, we received about 10 cases but could only rescue three animals. Two dogs passed away, and one cat, fully burned, is under medical care. We also had a cow whose shoulder was injured, and all these injuries were caused by crackers,” he added.
Rescuers also reported cats going missing from homes, frightened by the noise; they often run away and fail to return. Owls, being nocturnal birds, were found disoriented and injured, often after colliding with walls or vehicles.
According to Swaminathan, night calls are common during the festive season. “Most of the time, animals run in panic at night, get injured by vehicles, or collapse out of fear,” she said.
While the celebration affects all animals, experts say dogs are most vulnerable. “The extreme noise levels, often ranging from 100-140 decibels, can cause severe physiological trauma. This includes a sharp increase in heart rate, potentially leading to heart attacks. Prolonged exposure to fireworks may lead to trembling, hiding, pacing, drooling, loss of bladder control, or even aggression,” said Payel Chakraborty, animal communicator and healer.
