Fireworks blamed for death of baby red panda

Edinburgh Zoo owners insist fireworks on Bonfire Night brought on the death of a baby red panda at its site.

Wildlife conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which owns the zoo, said vets blame the death of three-month-old panda kit Roxie on her reaction to fireworks in the local area.

Roxie choked on her own vomit at the zoo on November 5th.

Ben Supple, RZSS deputy chief executive, said: "Roxie had recently lost her mum Ginger but was responding well to specialist care from our expert team and was feeding independently.

"Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on Bonfire Night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks.

"Roxie had access to her den but the frightening noises seem to have been too much for her. We are also concerned that fireworks cause stress to other animals in the zoo."

Government pressure

Mr Supple called on the Scottish and UK governments to tighten regulations on fireworks and backed a ban on their sale to the public.

He said: "Fireworks can cause fear and distress for pets, livestock and animals in zoos, so it is essential that the UK and Scottish governments tighten restrictions on their sale and use.

"We support calls from animal welfare charities to ban the sale of fireworks to the public, with only light displays being permitted at organised events.

"This would help avoid devastating consequences for animals like Roxie while ensuring that people can still enjoy traditional celebrations."

The charity is urging people to contact their local MP and MSP to support a petition containing more than one million signatures calling for tighter firework restrictions which was delivered to Downing Street earlier this month.

Powers at Westminster

Scottish community safety minister Siobhian Brown said: "Fireworks are very distressing for animals and this is sad news.

"I understand why there are a calls for a ban on fireworks, however this is a reserved issue to Westminster and not currently within the Scottish Government's powers.

"I have written to the UK Government asking for a meeting to discuss what more can be done on fireworks regulations and will also continue to engage with partners to discuss what further action may be considered.

"Within our powers we have provided local authorities with powers to designate firework control zones, which ban the use of fireworks in local areas, and these were used for the first time this year in areas across Edinburgh over the Bonfire Night period.

"Community organisations are also able to apply to the council for their local area to be made a firework control zone."

A UK Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: "We endeavour to keep pets and the public safe and that's why we launched a new fireworks safety campaign this season to help people use them safely and appropriately.

Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.

• edinburgh