
For Immediate Release:
May 25, 2023
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Taos, N.M. â A Compassionate Town Award from PETA is on its way to the âSoul of the Southwestâ to honor the community for canceling this yearâs Independence Day fireworks display and taking the thoughtful step of considering an animal-friendly laser light show instead.
âThanks to Taosâ foresight and care, countless animals will be spared the terrifying booms and blasts that cause many of them to run away and become lost, injured, or killed,â says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. âPETA is recognizing this compassionate community for protecting animalsâ lives and encourages Taos to leave fireworks out of its events permanently.â
PETA points out that fireworks displays frequently result in intake spikes at animal shelters, which exceed their capacity and further strain community resources. Companion animals who arrive at shelters at these times often have bloody paws and broken bones and might never be reunited with their families. Others, doomed to an even worse fate, are hit by cars or strangled after their collars become caught on fences. Wildlife is affected, too: In Arkansas, 5,000 birds died one New Yearâs Eve after a fireworks show caused them to take flight and slam into objects such as houses and cars because most of them couldnât see well in the dark.
Wildlife and companion animals arenât the only ones affected: Veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder can be deeply disturbed by fireworks. PETAâs tips and helpful yard signs available here can help make holiday celebrations safer for everyone.
PETAâwhose motto reads, in part, that âanimals are not ours to abuseââopposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visitâŻPETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Source: Peta.org