The sound of firecrackers during Tihar has frightened street dogs, with many reportedly disappearing from their usual locations as they seek safer places to hide.
Aniket Kapali, who feeds street dogs from his own earnings every day, said nearly half of the dogs that usually came for food in his area were missing when he went to feed them during the festival.
“Perhaps because of the firecrackers, nearly half of the dogs that come regularly for food were nowhere to be seen today. I took food for them, but had to throw away half of it because I could not find them,” he wrote.
Bhagwati Dani Chhetri, who has also been feeding street dogs for a long time, said firecrackers had left many dogs distressed. Other animal feeders have reported similar experiences, saying they have had to return home with uneaten food because the dogs were missing.
Dogs are particularly sensitive to loud noises because of their acute hearing. The sudden, loud explosions can cause severe distress and, in extreme cases, hearing injuries. Frightened dogs often hide, tremble or flee to unfamiliar places.
Social media platforms have also been flooded with posts from people searching for their missing dogs. Pages such as Lost and Found Dog and Voiceless Animal of Nepal have received numerous requests for help locating missing animals. Some users have also reported finding unfamiliar dogs in their neighbourhoods.
Despite a government ban on firecrackers, their use appears to have increased this Tihar, with people complaining about the unusually loud explosions.
Animal welfare advocate Alishan Rokka said many dogs had stopped eating, while others were trembling with fear or hiding. Some had yet to return home after fleeing in panic.
“Dog Tihar in the morning, terror for dogs in the evening,” Rokka wrote, expressing concern over animals frightened and displaced by firecrackers.
Another social media user, Rosila Tamang, urged people to consider the suffering of animals while celebrating. Animal rights activist Srishti Singh Shrestha also shared a video of a dog trembling in fear, calling on people to stop using firecrackers and report their use to the police.
Activist Sudha Timalsina, however, said police had failed to respond despite being informed about firecracker use in her neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, content creator Sandhya Subedi referred to a special Dog Tihar programme organised by Prime Minister Sabina Kafle to promote dogs internationally. She urged the prime minister’s husband and his associates to remember that importing, selling and using firecrackers are prohibited in Nepal because of the harm they cause to animals.
