How many more must suffer because of fireworks?

On August 30, the Healing with Horses Foundation (HWH), Buccoo, contacted the authorities in an attempt to stop what they heard would be a display of fireworks on the Buccoo boardwalk in celebration of TT's 60th anniversary of Independence.

The foundation's reason for wanting the alleged display stopped was: "We are concerned about the animals. Our founding horse, Jennifer, got injured in December 2021 and has been in intensive care ever since. She has been in vet care for eight months."

The response they received said no one had been given permission to have fireworks in Buccoo. Thankfully, therefore, no fireworks were discharged on the Buccoo Boardwalk on Independence night, 2022.

Veronika and Lennon LaFortune, founders and co-directors of HWH, are no strangers to the traumatising and damaging effects of fireworks.

On the night of December 25, 2021, Jennifer, the first and oldest horse belonging to Healing with Horses, was grazing at the Buccoo Football field, along with the rest of the herd, in a secure enclosure.

Terrified by the explosions of fireworks released in the village, the horses broke through the securely fenced area, resulting in some of them being injured. They galloped up the street to the HWH park/paddock, as is their custom.

However, due to a massive drain construction project taking place along Galla Trace (which leads to the park), there were large open concrete drains containing steel and stone. It is into one of these drains that Jennifer fell.

This incident, and the horses' terror, was witnessed by Jaheem Nedd, a young villager/volunteer.

“On the 25th of December 2021, I was home alone as my parents went out for dinner,” Jaheem stated in his report. “Around 10, I heard some horses neighing outside, so I went out to take a look. I saw the entire herd scrambled all over. There were some horses in my yard and in the neighbour's yard.

"We tried contacting Lennon and Veronika but they weren't accessible. Usually the horses would've walked up to the stables and entered the paddocks.

"However, there was a construction site on the street and the horses couldn't cross. While I was outside, I witnessed Jennifer just barely making her way out of the approximately four-foot-deep unfinished drain with fresh cuts all over her legs.

"I gathered the neighbours, along with my parents and eventually was able to contact Lennon and Veronika, who came to collect and tend to the horses.”

That morning, Lennon began attending to the bruises and abrasions on Jennifer’s body, feet and legs. The injuries are visually documented in photographs and in x-rays (provided by Andrew Scarlett’s mobile digital x-ray and ultrasound services) which revealed damaged tissues and ligaments.

Nine months later, despite continued intensive care from Lennon and assistance from two veterinarians (Dr Michael Downes and Dr Leah Pouchet), Jennifer’s wounds have worsened. Currently she cannot stand and she has lost sight in her left eye; the eyeball was ruptured after she slammed herself repeatedly against the ground because of excruciating pain experienced during a bad bout of colic.

As she is unable to join the other horses in their usual daily exercise (vital for a horse) she is highly prone to colic and other complications. Since the accident she has also been unable to join the herd for the trail rides and swims that she enjoyed for 14 of her 15 years with the organisation.

I started writing this article on Tuesday 6th September, 2022. This morning (7th September) Lennon found Jennifer dead. As I write, he is organizing a backhoe for her burial on the cliff overlooking the sea.

This beautiful animal (whose 34th birthday was celebrated on August 27) was perfectly healthy and functioning fully, before the firework explosions in December 2021. How much longer would she have lived without the resulting accident that caused her painfully drawn-out and irreversible decline?

Whether regulated or not, and whether discharged by "ordinary citizens" or "fireworks professionals," fireworks will always explode loudly, causing trauma or worse to animals and some humans. It is baffling when people ask for "facts" and "data" to prove this, and when they defend the explosive displays as though life depends on them.

As a friend commented recently: “Fireworks are spectacular to watch...But is that fifteen minutes of sparkly stuff worth so much suffering and even death?”

TT must transition from use of fireworks in celebration to environmentally-friendly alternatives (eg laser light shows) that consider the welfare of all.