Kaua`i Police received nine complaints about excessive noise between midnight
and 1 a.m. as 2000 turned into 2001 on Monday.
Complaints came in from
Omao, Kapahi, Hanama’ulu, Lihu’e, Koloa, Keapana, Kilauea and Wailua, according
to police reports.
One Wailua woman who didn’t call police, Dorothy
Shilling, now wishes she had.
Shilling believes an illegal fireworks
display in her neighborhood killed her two-year-old cockatiel, Buddy. In a
letter to The Garden Island, Shilling said the “concussion and noise” of
high-flying aerial fireworks “frightened him to death.” She said the fireworks
shouldn’t have been allowed.
Kaua`i Humane Society officials said Wednesday
that they had received no other reports of animal deaths in connection with
illegal fireworks.
But an official did say that there had been numerous
reports of missing dogs on New Year’s Eve. Many of the animals still hadn’t
returned Wednesday.
Pet experts repeatedly caution pet owners to bring
their animals inside during fireworks displays.
David Haas, a Lihu’e-based
veterinarian, said birds and dogs are both affected by fireworks.
“Birds
are more affected by shock than other animals,” he said. “But there are a
number of owners who have to keep their dogs confined and tranquilized. There
are a number of factors causing this. Dogs have a different range of hearing
than we do. They can hear things we cannot hear.”
Haas said that although
cats may also be affected, the problem doesn’t seem to be as bad for them as
for their canine brethren.
A new state law required permits in order for
consumers to buy firecrackers. Other fireworks could be purchased without
permits, however.
Police reported only two citations for illegal fireworks
New Year’s Eve, and line officers said the streets were quieter this New Year’s
Eve than any other in recent memory.
But they weren’t quiet enough for a
little bird in Wailua.
“The fireworks permit thing didn’t stop anybody,”
Shilling complained.
Governor Ben Cayetano this week proposed a ban of
fireworks on Oahu, where $300,000 in property damage and a house fire that
killed a woman and her two dogs were blamed on fireworks. He has not
recommended a ban for Kaua’i and other islands.
Staff writer Dennis
Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and dwilken@pulitzer.net
