When people loudly welcome in the New Year, it can be unpleasant for the zoo animals. The sudden bursts of firecrackers can cause them stress and fireworks and other pyrotechnics can cause fires. Once again this year, the zoo asks that you observe the ban on firecrackers around the zoo on New Year's Eve in order to minimise the risk.

According to the first ordinance to the Explosives Act (1. SprengV) § 23, the burning of pyrotechnic objects in the immediate vicinity of particularly fire-sensitive buildings or facilities is prohibited. The zoo is one of these particularly sensitive locations. This is about the risk of fire but also about animal welfare on New Year's Eve.

The noise from firecrackers and rockets, which can last until the early hours of the morning, causes stress for the animals. The sudden noise and the unfamiliar flashes of light can even cause panic in many animals. They should be protected from this as much as possible, although fortunately they usually calm down again quickly once the firecrackers are over.

Fires can also easily occur on New Year's Eve, triggered by fireworks and other pyrotechnics. This damage can then be permanent and very dramatic for the zoo and its animals. To minimise the risk, the zoo is deploying a fire watch on New Year's Eve and is asking all residents not to set off fireworks in the streets and courtyards around the zoo.

"We are very pleased that the appeals to observe the firecracker ban have worked so well in recent years. And we hope that our neighbours around the zoo will be understanding again this year. We have noticed that it has been much quieter in recent years and that fewer rockets have landed on our grounds. Our animals have survived the turn of the year well and we naturally hope that it will be the same this time," says Zoo Director Dr Christina Geiger.

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