ANNA MARIA ISLAND – While it’s common knowledge that house pets are easily spooked by fireworks, local animal advocates remind people about the disruption to wildlife from loud and light-filled Fourth of July celebrations.
Krista Carpenter, a volunteer with Wildlife Inc., said that each year, the Bradenton Beach animal rehabilitation organization sees an influx of animals impacted by fireworks.
“Babies can become separated from their parents as they run from the noise of fireworks,” Carpenter said. “Raptors like the bald eagle can abandon their nests because the noise and lights are considered an attack.”
She said even animals in Wildlife Inc.’s care may become hurt while reacting to the sound of fireworks.
“Animals at the rescue can injure themselves by throwing themselves against the cages out of fear, attempting to escape,” Carpenter said.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella said that fireworks can disorient sea turtles and scare nesting shorebirds away.
“Fireworks pose threats to both sea turtles and shorebirds,” Mazzarella said. “The light from fireworks can disorient or confuse nesting sea turtles and hatchlings, preventing them from finding their way to the ocean.”
She said both light and noise can scare nesting shorebirds.
“Fireworks can spook nesting shorebirds from their nests and scatter chicks, leaving them open to predators and being separated from their parents,” Mazzarella said. “The trash from the fireworks can be a danger to all animals on the beach.”
Celebratory fireworks can literally frighten birds to death, according to Audubon Florida.
“Although beachside fireworks shows are entertaining to people, the bursts of color and noise wreak havoc on coastal birds – especially for nesting species. After each fireworks explosion, birds panic and fly from their nests, scattering the chicks and exposing them to predators and heat until their parents return,” according to Audubon Florida. “For this reason, it is better to attend a municipal firework show versus deploying store-bought fireworks on the beach.”
Audubon Florida reminds beachgoers:
- Debris left from the fireworks litter beaches and near-shore waters and can be easily mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals. Hungry chicks nibble on plastic refuse, even ingesting some of the smallest pieces.
- Give nesting birds at least 100 feet of distance or as much as possible. Signs or people will alert you to these areas, but some birds haven’t settled down to start nesting yet and may just look like they are resting in the sand. Please avoid walking through flocks of birds on the upper beach.
- Pets and vehicles are not permitted on Anna Maria Island beaches.
- Remove trash and food scraps, which attract predators that will also eat birds’ eggs and/or chicks.
“These disturbances can cause adult birds to abandon their nests or chicks, which can ultimately lead to chicks starving, getting eaten by a predator, or overheating in the sun. This Fourth of July weekend, many birds are re-nesting and will have their final opportunity to successfully raise young this season,” the Audubon website says.
Over the July Fourth weekend, Audubon Florida’s bird stewards will be out at locations across the state where people and beach-nesting birds co-mingle. They will help coastal visitors learn about the birds to better understand what is happening inside posted areas.
