PETA: With fireworks on hold, it’s a good time to switch to laser light shows that don’t frighten wildlife | READER COMMENTARY

During the blasts, startled deer and other animals often run into roadways and birds flee their nests, abandoning their chicks. Fireworks were blamed for the deaths of 5,000 birds in Arkansas after red-winged blackbirds and European starlings took off in panicked flight. The night-blind birds crashed into houses, signs and other obstacles, causing blunt-force trauma and death.