With this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi festivities currently underway, the number of pets that have gone missing is astounding. This letter is my response to the many missing dogs’ posters that I’ve come across recently, attributing fireworks, firecrackers and unbearably loud music to be likely causes. As someone who used to co-parent dogs and now a female indie cat that frequently hides under our beds and voices her distress during these times, I can only imagine how many more pets are about to go missing in a panic and sadly be at risk of never being found again, getting injured or passing away. My heart especially goes out to the strays, the more likely recipients of injury and death. While a DIY soundproofing of windowless rooms sounds like a desperate last resort for pet parents, stricter enforcement of the permitted midnight limit for festivals under Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000, should do the trick to protect pets and strays. However, transitioning to more traditional forms of festival music, avoiding all types of firecrackers while processions are underway and minimizing fireworks would be nice.
ROSS LOPES, Mapusa
