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PETA promises funds if Lahaina celebration uses silent fireworks

LahainaTown Action Committee is ‘looking into’ animal-friendly offer

An animal rights group is offering $5,000 to the LahainaTown Action Committee to use silent fireworks during the town’s annual Fourth of July celebration.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced the proposal Thursday in response to the committee’s plans to create its biggest-ever fireworks display this year. PETA said the quieter fireworks “create a stunning show without the warlike explosions.”

“By offering sensational, soundless fireworks, Lahaina will prevent dogs, cats, wildlife and humans suffering from PTSD from being bombarded with deafening noises,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in announcing the group’s offer. “PETA stands ready to help the city make a different kind of July Fourth history by putting on the first major Independence Day display that delivers all the flash without the fright.”

Animal shelters tend to see an increase in the number of lost dogs and cats after fireworks shows, PETA said. Frightened dogs jump over fences and even through glass windows trying to escape the sounds. Wildlife can get scared onto roads. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one in five pets goes missing after being scared by fireworks or other loud noises.

Lynn Donovan, executive director of the LahainaTown Action Committee, said Thursday that “we received the offer from PETA and we’re looking into it.”

“We love animals too,” Donovan added. “If we can do anything to minimize the noise, we would.”

It’s the first time PETA has contacted the committee about doing silent fireworks, Donovan said.

However, the committee has already signed a contract with Pyro Spectaculars in preparation for next month’s show, which has been billed as the town’s biggest ever. This year organizers have extended the show to 15 minutes and added high rockets to allow more people in West Maui to catch the celebration. Synchronized music also will be broadcast through an app as the fireworks are launched from a barge offshore. Afterwards, dive teams will scour the harbor for debris, Donovan said.

So far, the committee has raised about $30,000 of its $55,000 goal.

PETA spokesperson Colin Henstock said Thursday that quiet fireworks “do make some noise, but the explosions are typically far below the 120-decibel pain threshold for sound.”

Many companies now carry quiet fireworks, and “they’re “increasingly popular in Europe,” Henstock said. One town in Italy passed a law in 2015 allowing only quiet fireworks displays. And in April, the town of Costa Mesa, Calif., took PETA up on a similar $5,000 offer.

“This really is a win-win,” Henstock said. “It would give a boost to (Lahaina’s) fundraising budget, and it would also benefit the city’s noise-sensitive children, veterans, elderly, companion animals and wildlife.”

PETA encourages families to protect pets during fireworks displays by keeping them indoors and, if possible, staying with them. Turning on the TV or the radio can also help drown out the some of the noises.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.

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