Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

The photos attached were taken with a point 'n' shoot Olympus and in a hurry.
The day before, I stated to smell something rotten and could not find it.
On January 2nd, as I was getting out, I spotted the reason of the smell. It was
a poor female Possum stuck on the power lines (three phases of 127 v + ground line).
It took us a lot of time to remove her body from the lines and then we noticed that
there was a small puppy on her marsupial purse (?). She was trying to escape
from the aggressive noise of the fireworks...

I tried to enhance the photos on Canon's DPP, but this is the best I could get since
the camera sensor seems to be dying.

I only hope that this year (New Years Eve) the fireworks are banned. My Yorkshire
runs from side to side in despair at each and every explosions. Always hated such
futile celebrations. And "Hic Est Opinio Mea".

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fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

Love the 2nd one. Beautiful deep blue color.

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

Thats terrible Anhanga.
We also have 'fireworks' allowed here in New Zealand for Guy Fawkes, 5 November each year. A totally irrelevant occasion that most NZers would have no idea what it celebrates.
And like you we have a dog that becomes a gibbering wreck every time she hears an explosion or rocket go off.
On the evening of the 5th, we usually go for a drive out in the country where there is little if any fireworks action.
Successive governments here have 'talked' about legislating to make them illegal, but after the elections, nothing happens, until next the next election.
I visited Brazil a couple of years ago with my daughter and her family and thoroughly enjoyed the limited time we had wandering around. A beautiful country you live in.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Lock up your dog in advance and enjoy the fireworks.

02Nomad Loc: Catonsville, MD

Our vet told us to give our dog up to 5 mg of Melatonin prior (2 or 3 hours) to the fireworks/thunder storm. While the melatonin does not remove all of our dog's reactions, it does serve to lessen the effects. There is also a product at pet stores called CBD that has helped a friend's large dog.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

How exactly could you know what the possum was thinking by climbing the pole?

CaptainBobBrown

Our vet will prescribe a tranquilizer before fireworks holidays or for promised thunder events (which are reasonably rare here on leeward side of island of Hawaii.) It only takes one traumatic event for a dog to become afraid for life because they often don't adapt through desensitization to events which produce a surge of fear induced hormones. One of our 3 corgis is terrified by thunder and lightning but the other two pretty much shrug off thunder and loud noises so it seems to be a very individual response. Maybe it depends on the stage of development they're at when the trauma hits? ... or maybe it's just how bad the event is the first time it happens?

In our thunder fearing dog the lightening was so close there wasn't much delay (milliseconds) between bright flash, thunder clap and very loud strike of lightening within a mile or so. We all jumped but the poor dog raced around the house looking for the deepest hidey hole she could find and for days after was fearful of even normal household sounds like the blender or a vacuum. Now she knows that cloudy days and rain could mean terror so she often has to be induced to go for a walk by the promise of a mongoose hunt. It's been several years but if there is a hint of thunder even as far as the 28 miles to the horizon she still hides in the shower and won't come out for the whole day.

Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

Thanks for the compliments. I live in an area that is vastly populated by wildlife. Many in the attempt to escape, end up in the middle of the roads and are usually ran over by cars and trucks. That is a pity...

Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

They are usually wandering around my house. They NEVER climb the post. That particular animal had
her mouth on a wire, one front paw on another, one back paw on a different one and the tip of her tail
touching the ground wire. We were not at home. Our dog is always kept indoors and we keep the windows
closed.

She reached the wires by climbing on our Golden Shower Casia (sp ?) what shows she was in desperation,
as they always follow the roofs and top of our walls.

IMHO, anyone with a good amount of lived years on our backs is capable of reckoning animal behavior.

Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

That is really sad. Mine is fine with distant thunders, but once we had one that hit an empty lot a few metres
from our home. The poor Yorkie shrank and expelled a stinky discharge from his south end...

Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

We always keep him indoors. And, particularly, I never liked fireworks, parades,
marching bands, etc. My wife and son do, but that is them...
But they agree with me that we should ban fireworks inside our closed community.

Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

Thanks. It was the best I could get from a 4 MP JPG on Canon DPP.

clickety

I think you may be grasping for support to bolster your personal crusade against fireworks.

Climbing animals historically have climbed and continue to climb poles and yes, unfortunately they do short out wires and transformers with some regularity. Birds frequently electrocute themselves as well but most of the smaller ones don't cause power outages. Since this happens randomly throughout the year there is no proven correlation to fireworks.

Be careful that this isn't masking the undesirable human tendency of "IF I don't have or want it, then YOU don't need it" which is the source of much of society's conflict.

Diocletian

Poor little possum. 😢

Diocletian

Amazing that so few people here felt sorry for the poor little possum and her kit.