Bonfire Night – How to Preserve the Wildlife

Bonfire night festivities are upon us and we are all looking forward to spending quality time with our family and friends surrounded by a blazing fire and fierce fireworks. However, we shouldn’t forget as thrilling those nights can be, they can be as dangerous and damaging to wildlife in your garden or local environment.

Build Your Fire on the Day

The most vital thing we should always do is to build the bonfire setting on the day and discover a clear area, away from woodland and possible leaf sanctuaries. And this applies to fireworks as well, don’t attach them to trees but do secure them to a pole in the ground. Since it’s the season of hedgehogs always check if any hedgehogs or amphibians are using your bonfire structure as shelter. An additional protection measure you can take is building small piles of leaves and sticks around the area to divert the little animals’ attention to a substitutive hideout. If you do notice any of the cute creatures hiding away, put on some gloves and shelter in a nearby spot, preferably somewhere that would be a natural habitat for them.

Look Out for Wildlife

Let’s not forget that scorching fires and fireworks displays can also seem threatening to birds and your pets. Be mindful especially in urban areas as birds out of fear might take flight and be seriously harmed. As for your pets, you should try to walk them quite a lot during the day so you avoid having them outside during the crackling fireworks. Don’t leave them home alone trembling with fear since this might affect their mentality and cause separation anxiety.

Other things you can and should do are making sure the fire is completely out and not let it implement more damage to the wildlife. You can also leave the ashes as a nutrient to your garden or some of the burnt wood, leaves to make a lovely home for hedgehogs. However, don’t abandon litter from fireworks or drinks because little animals can get trapped or harmed. There are always extra precautions you can carry out, such as only lighting up the fire from one side to create an opportunity for the tiny mammals to escape and having a hose or bucket of water nearby.

Overall, bonfire nights do engage our community to breathe, relax and have fun, though we should all be respectful and cautious with how to protect our wildlife. Better be safe than sorry!

The safest way to have a bonfire is to add a fire pit into your garden design. Let our team inspire you, call them today on 0116 210 0760.