Fireworks at Halloween can cause stress, injury and death in pets and wildlife, according to the B.C. SPCA.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

With Halloween on Sunday and the tradition of shooting off fireworks to celebrate, the B.C. SPCA is reminding everyone they can cause injury and death to pets, farm animals and wildlife.

The B.C. SPCA said in a media release that approximately 49% of dogs are fearful of loud noises such as fireworks, thunderstorms and gunshots, while roughly 79% of horses show anxious behaviour during fireworks displays.

The animal protection organization is urging Canadians to sign a petition calling on the federal government to protect animals from the dangers of fireworks.

Aleigh Ateyo works as an after-hours night emergency officer at the B.C. SPCA. She said she doesn’t think people realize the trauma surrounding fireworks for animals.

“On nights when there are fireworks the call load is always worse,” she said in the release. “The animals are frantic and once an animal is frightened and running that are almost impossible to catch.”

Ateyo estimates she receives upwards of 30 to 50 calls on Halloween night, most of which are related to the effects of fireworks, such as animals getting hit by cars and animals running away.

She gets reports of wildlife behaving in unusual ways, including instances where raccoons, skunks and birds were trying to get inside a house or underneath a deck to hide from fireworks.

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“For many, Halloween is a fun time for candy, costumes and fireworks,” B.C. SPCA manager of companion animal welfare science and policy Meghann Cant said in the release. “But for animals it’s one of the most frightful nights of the year. Now’s the time to ask the government to take steps to protect them.”

The organization said in order to keep pets safe on Halloween ensure the pet has at least forms of identification on them, such as a collar and an ear tattoo, be careful not to let pets escape when opening your door, and to keep them on leash when they relieve themselves.

If you're interested in signing the petition go here.

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