Residents of New Alipore and adjoining Chetla in Kolkata are preparing to move around 20 stray dogs to animal shelters ahead of Diwali after three nights of loud firecracker noise left the animals frightened and distressed.
The initiative has been organised by local residents who regularly feed stray dogs in the neighbourhood. They said the noise and flashes had already caused severe distress among the animals and feared the situation could worsen on the eve of Diwali and during the festival.
Bapi Sen, a resident of Buroshibtala who feeds strays in New Alipore, said some residents had taken dogs into their homes, but many animals in the neighbourhood and adjoining areas remained exposed to the noise. The group planned to begin moving as many dogs as possible to shelters from Saturday morning.
“The animals are scared and have been left distraught by the incessant noise. A few of them have been taken home by some of us but there are many more in the neighbourhood and adjoining localities who are in a terrible state. We will start moving as many of them as possible to animal shelters from Saturday morning,” Sen told The Times of India.
Residents involved in the effort said they feared some of the strays could be injured or killed if they remained unprotected during the period of intense firecracker use. The plan follows an initiative by the same group two years ago, when it ran a poster campaign urging people to protect animals on the roads and provide them with shelter during Diwali.
An NGO worker involved in protecting stray animals in south Kolkata said loud firecracker noise could be physically and psychologically harmful to dogs and cats. According to the worker, animals have a wider and more acute hearing range than humans, while their fear and self-preservation instincts can make fireworks particularly traumatic.
The neighbourhood effort highlights how festival-related noise affects urban animals that have no access to enclosed homes or other protected spaces. In New Alipore and Chetla, residents who feed the animals are now coordinating temporary shelter arrangements before the expected increase in firecracker activity over the festival weekend.
The group is scheduled to begin shifting the dogs on Saturday morning, with the immediate aim of sheltering as many animals as possible before Diwali celebrations intensify.
