Strays, pets silent victims of Diwali frenzy

Apart from children and the elderly, the worst sufferers of the city's Diwaly frenzy were strays and pets as many of them had a tough time dealing with the deafening noise of crackers which left them petrified.
Children, highly susceptible to ailments of the respiratory system, had to be nebulised in some cases as smog, filled with extremely high levels of particulate matters, crept into houses of people despite precautionary measures.
"Had to put my one-year old to sleep after giving him a doze of nebulisation (usually prescribed when his chest is heavily congested.) His cousin must have undergone the same routine," Nishatha Abraham Bijeesh, who stays in trans Yamuna's Anand Vihar area, said.

Vijeesh said that she was already contemplating leaving Delhi during next year's Diwali celebrations.
Ruchika, a communications professional and a mother of a four-year-old, lamented that despite interventions at multiple levels, not much seems to have changed on the ground level.
"My kid suffers from this recurring issue of difficulty in breathing during this period every time around during Diwali. But the thick haze all around us clearly shows much else needs to be done. Imposition of heavy penalties should be mulled over," the communications professional said.

Cases of pets having gone missing were reported on several social media sites. According to animal-rights activists, 10-15 such cases are reported every year in the post-Diwali phase.

Vice President of Friendicoes, Geeta Seshamani, said that the animal-welfare NGO has reported five cases of dogs lost- and-found since last evening.
"Reports are still coming in. In many areas our volunteers could not find stray dogs in their usual locations as they have clearly gone into the hiding," Seshamani said.
She said animals also suffer from loss of appetite in the short term due to fear resulting of noise of bursting crackers. Allergic reactions, skin problems also come into the picture in the long-term.
Ambika Shukla of People For Animals (PFA) said that noise affects dogs more as they have a heightened sense of hearing. "It gets amplified in their ears and comes across like sounds of explosions to them," she said.

Tandrali, a volunteer with Friendicoes, flagged the terrifying cases of strays and pets coming under running vehicles during such occasions. "They lose their sense of orientation due to the ceaseless noise," she said.
Anuradha Dogra of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Noida) underlined as to how the pollution affects other animals like cows as well as birds.
"Crackers like rockets indiscriminately hit trees which affects birds the most. Also cows seem to be the flavour of the season but no one thinks of them during festivities such as Diwali or when they consume large amounts of plastic," she said.