Deafening Deepavali crackers send Bengaluru’s street dogs fleeing in fear

Loud firecrackers during Deepavali in Bengaluru, Karnataka, terrified street dogs and community dogs, causing animals to flee into traffic and wander kilometres from home. Animal rescuers, residents and animal welfare workers responded by opening homes and spaces for temporary shelter, moving mother dogs and puppies into foster care, and administering calming medication under veterinary guidance. Lakshmi Swaminathan, trustee of Mylos Foundation, stated that the organisation received multiple calls about shivering, struggling and injured dogs from Basavanagudi, BTM Layout and Varthur, while about seven puppies and their mothers from Rayasandra and Electronics City were moved to foster care. Theatre artist Anuradha Rao hosted four dogs at her art studio, Untitled Arts, and resident Vinay Raj Somashekar reported finding a missing dog 2.5 km and 4 km away over two days. Actor Shubha Punja stated that residents were ignoring government restrictions limiting firecracker bursting to between 8 pm and 10 pm. “Nobody is stopping anybody from bursting crackers, but people should follow the guidelines and avoid the big, high-sound crackers,” she said. Feeders can feed animals early before crackers begin and ensure community dogs wear reflective collars with identification tags.