(Trinidad Guardian) The debate over a ban on fireworks raged yesterday after a young male Red Kangaroo at the Emperor Valley Zoo died from “trauma and stress” it experienced after the Independence Day fireworks in the Queen’s Park Savannah.
President of the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ZSTT), Gupte Lutchmedial, confirmed that necropsy results showed the kangaroo died as a result of traumatic stress brought on by loud explosions from last Saturday’s fireworks show.
The 18-month-old kangaroo that died only arrived in the country three weeks ago from Texas.
Speaking with Guardian Media at the zoo yesterday, Lutchmedial said the kangaroo died at 10.30 yesterday morning.
“By 12 o’clock we had the vets here….we asked both of them to come. The necropsy or autopsy, whichever one you want to call it, was finished about half an hour ago (around 2.oo pm) and it did confirm it (the kangaroo) died from trauma and stress – bleeding of the brain. It’s the noise that got them excited and had them beating around the place,” he said.
Lutchmedial said the noise from the fireworks was louder than any of the zookeepers experienced in past years of the Independence Day fireworks display.
He said the explosions were louder because the show was moved closer to their location around the savannah.
The kangaroos were not the only victims of the noise as Lutchmedial said six birds were found dead on Sunday.
The Emperor Valley Zoo made a call for the banning of fireworks when the news of the kangaroo’s death was announced yesterday via its Facebook page.
However, Lutchmedial does not believe such an extreme approach is needed.
He suggested that the fireworks can be moved from the current venue to the foreshore and be launched from a barge.
“I know people enjoy fireworks. There are safer fireworks that you can have or a next location,” he said.
In a statement issued after the kangaroo’s death yesterday, the Environmental Management Agency said it recommends “as an alternative” the importation of noiseless fireworks.
“This will provide a solution to the noise pollution and discomfort to animals and citizens,” the EMA said.
It cited Section 2.03 of the Trinidad and Tobago National Environmental Policy, approved by Cabinet in 2018, which states that it is Government’s policy that “noise from all sources will be managed to ensure that the health and well-being of all citizens will be respected.”
Guardian Media first learned of the effects of the fireworks on the zoo’s animals on Monday, after Lutchmedial confirmed zookeepers had discovered six dead birds on Sunday morning. Managing director of FireOne Fireworks Andre Abraham, whose company provided the pyrotechnics, assured on Monday that this year’s display was done in the same GPS-confirmed location as previous years.
He suggested the difference in volume could have resulted from using a mix of products from a new supplier and older products.
Abraham was unable to confirm whether or not the decibel level of the show was louder than previous years, but he said the EMA gave FireOne Fireworks the requisite clearance for the pyrotechnics show.
“Unfortunately, our society is very negatively driven. We like to talk about all the negative things but there are so many people who enjoy the fireworks – it brought families together,” he said.
Since the zoo made initial complaints over the weekend about the noise, Abraham said he has been trying to get in touch with Lutchmedial but was unable to reach him.
The independence fireworks showcase was sponsored by Ansa McAl, which in a response to questions from Guardian Media said: “The information coming out of the zoo, that the death of one of the kangaroos was a result of the fireworks, is certainly cause for concern and requires a general discussion, not just about fireworks but about how we activate celebrations such as Carnival, in and around the city of Port of Spain and in Trinidad and Tobago.”
Ansa McAl added, “Independence fireworks have been around for over 50 years in Trinidad and Tobago and is traditionally a gift to the people of this nation. All permissions were given by the relevant authorities to FireOne Fireworks to execute in Queen’s Park Savannah and San Fernando Hill on Independence night. The celebrations were advertised, well in advance, throughout traditional and social media.”
Members of the public have been weighing in on the issue.
One Facebook user said: “So for the last decade or more there has been fireworks display in the city with NO animal deaths at the zoo. All of a sudden in 2019 Kangaroos died due to noise levels, very interesting. Seems like someone is trying to using the unfortunate deaths of these animals for their own agenda smh (shake my head).”
Another said: “The zoo needs to be relocated. They are trying their best to bring in new attractions but with very limited space. But for the time being the fireworks should be relocated.”
Both FireOne Fireworks and Ansa Mcal said they are open to meeting with Lutchmedial and his team to better understand their concerns and work on a solution.