ZAGREB, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Animal Friends Croatia, a non-governmental organization, announced on Thursday that it has gathered more than 10,000 signatures from citizens in support of a complete ban on loud pyrotechnics, including fireworks.
Public opinion polls show that 80 percent of Croatian citizens back the ban.
In a letter to Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, the organization proposed several measures, including banning the sale and use of all loud pyrotechnic devices, restricting the use of permitted pyrotechnics to the period between Dec. 29 and 31, limiting the use of permitted light pyrotechnics to between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve, and prohibiting pyrotechnic advertising.
"If we want to reduce the number of injured children, killed animals and environmental pollution, we need concrete and drastic measures," said Snjezana Klopotan-Kacavenda, a coordinator of the NGO, as quoted by local media.
Klopotan-Kacavenda noted that during the recent Christmas and New Year celebrations, Croatian police, firefighters and medical professionals were overwhelmed by incidents caused by the misuse of pyrotechnic devices.
