New Year’s Eve is customarily celebrated world-wide with fireworks displays, loud music and public festivities. When the fireworks go off, people cheer on the flashy explosions of colourful light and smoke.
Wildlife conservationists have, however, warned there is a dark side to New Year’s Eve fireworks that has proven deadly in past years.
According to The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP), the barrage of festive explosives can be harmful to bird populations.
OTOP’s head of conservation Dr Jarosław Krogulec told WP.pl: “Fireworks are not directly lethal to birds.
“However, the stress factors that follow erupting fireworks, such as disorientation or flying in poor weather that birds typically avoid, could potentially lead to death.”
LIVE: New Year’s Eve 2020 countdown around the world: Fireworks welcome the New Year
READ MORE
-
New Year’s Eve 2019 in pictures: Latest photos and Happy New Year 2020
Following New Year’s Eve 2010 festivities in the Arkansas, US, city of Beebe, residents discovered between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds.
According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), the birds all died as a result of bird trauma when flying into trees and buildings.
The AGFC speculated at the time fireworks were responsible for spooking the birds from their roosts but the source of their unrest was not conclusively determined.
The AGFC said: “It appears, unusually loud noises, reported shortly before the birds began to fall, caused the birds to flush from the large roost.
“Additional New Year’s Eve fireworks in the area may have forced the birds to fly at a lower altitude than normal.
“Blackbirds have poor night vision and typically do not fly at night.”
It was estimated millions of birds could be similarly startled
Dr Jarosław Krogulec, The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds
One year after the Beebe tragedy, around 200 blackbirds were found dead for a second time after New Year’s Eve.
In 2011, a team of researchers from Holland analysed the behaviour of birds during NYE fireworks displays.
The researchers tracked birds with the aid of radar and noticed unusual flight patterns while fireworks were going off.
DON’T MISS
Nostradamus predictions for 2020: War, impeachment, tsunami [INSIGHT]
Six predictions for 2019 that came TRUE before 2020 [ANALYSIS]
How to watch the New Year clock countdown [LIVE]
READ MORE
- NASA readies HabEx telescope in search for ‘second Earth’
Dr Krogulec said: “During the study, it was estimated that hundreds of thousands of birds were flushed from the 40km radius surrounding the radar dishes.
“When the data was then extrapolated to the whole country, it was estimated millions of birds could be similarly startled across the whole of Holland.”
Professor Judy Shamoun-Baranes from the University of Amsterdam, who led the study, said: “These figures are quite staggering, especially when considering that birds are disturbed from areas that are otherwise designated for conservation of the species, especially during the winter and migration season.
“This phenomenon has also been observed in Belgium, so this issue is clearly not isolated to the area where this particular study took place.”
The bird study was published in the journal Behavioural Ecology.
New Year’s Eve fireworks have also attracted the attention of climate activists this year.
In Australia, in particular, climate campaigners have urged the mayor of Sydney not to go ahead with the annual fireworks display over Sydney Harbour.
However, Sydney mayor Clover Moore defended the decision to go ahead with the NYE celebrations.
She said: “Cities around the world are doing their bit to address global warming; it’s our national governments that are failing us.”
Source: Read Full Article