Roxie and her mother, Ginger, were among the many red pandas at Edinburgh Zoo. Roxie was born in July of 2024, increasing the number of captive red panda births in the zoo. Just a few months later, Roxie’s mother unfortunately passed away due to causes that remain still unknown. During this period, Roxie received care from a specialist team to keep her healthy while her mother was gone. Roxie was thriving well up until around five days later when keepers found her dead. Her death was not due to the fact her care was inadequate, but the fact she was indeed stressed.
The people of Edinburgh Zoo and their team of specialists concluded the baby red panda died from choking on her vomit after being stressed by local fireworks. That same night, the United Kingdom celebrated its annual Bonfire Night, a night to remember the anniversary of a failed plot to blow up London’s Houses of Parliament in 1606 by blowing up fires to light up the sky. That night, millions of individuals watched and lit fireworks throughout the city and, unfortunately, through Edinburgh’s streets. The ability for citizens to possess fireworks got out of hand as a widespread mishap occurred. People threw missiles at officers in Gilmerton and Sighthill, and other attacks in the city, including those on firefighters. “Police have made several arrests and, on Thursday, confirmed four teenage boys – aged 15, 16, and two aged 17 – had been charged in connection with fireworks offenses relating to Bonfire Night in the city. In total, 13 people aged between 13 and 40 have been charged over disturbances on 5 November.” BBC’s article, “Baby died from firework stress, the zoo says.”
Many animals like Roxie have either died or experienced serious injuries due to the immense amount of stress they endured from the fireworks on Bonfire Night. According to the British Horse Society in BBC’s article, “Bonfire Night ‘Catastrophic’ For Horses and Zoos” they say, “ On average, more than 100 horses were killed or injured every year in the UK between November 2010 and March 2024 due to incidents involving fireworks..” On top of that, back in 2020, a baby Zebra also passed due to being spooky from the loud noises of fireworks.
The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) allied with RZSS (The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland) and other animal welfare organizations in the area to raise awareness of this topic and how it can be prevented. There was a petition signed and submitted to the UK government with over a thousand signatures to enforce tighter fireworks restrictions. Currently, it’s illegal to launch fireworks between 11 pm and 7 am in the UK except on holidays like Bonfire Night, New Year’s Eve, Diwali, and Chinese New Year. You can only purchase and sell fireworks between October 15 through November 10th and December 26-31. According to CNN’s article “Baby Red Panda Died After Being Stressed By Fireworks, Zoo Says,” “A 2019 parliamentary inquiry into the issue concluded that a ban on public sales of fireworks would likely be “ineffective” and have a “substantial economic effect.”
However, it is recommended that the government work with animal welfare experts to set a reduced maximum noise level and with local authorities to limit the number of private fireworks displays at events like birthdays or weddings.
Unfortunately, this issue is still being resolved and fought by many animal supporter members and wellness officials. Siobhan Brown spoke out to a CNN reporter.
She stated, “Scotland’s community safety minister Siobhan Brown told CNN in a statement that the Scottish government doesn’t have the power to completely resolve the issue, saying that she has written to the UK government requesting a meeting “to discuss what more can be done on fireworks regulations.”
