In Natoye, in the entity of Hamois, Éric Fernémont saw his two-year-old horse violently panicked by the explosions. In panic, the animal destroyed the fences of its meadow by crossing them. The breeder shows us numerous fireworks debris found on his property. In its escape, the horse damaged two vehicles.
“The heart can give out”
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Seriously injured and drenched in sweat from stress, the foal had to be treated urgently by a veterinarian, his condition was so worrying. “This type of stress can kill a horse. We are talking about a violent shock: the heart can give out, and it can happen very quickly”explains Éric Fernémont, disappointed.
In Ohey, Yasmine Barbier lost her horse that same night. Panicked by the fireworks, the animal was seriously injured. Despite the veterinarian’s intervention, he died. In tears, the owner explains: “The vet couldn’t do anything to save him.”
Similar situations have also been reported in Somme-Leuze, where breeders say they stayed with their horses for part of the night to try to calm them down. Despite their constant presence, the animals were severely stressed and often proved impossible to calm. Elsewhere in the region, other similar cases have been reported.
“I want concrete leads”
The mayor of Hamois, Valérie Caverenne Warzée, confirms that municipal regulations prohibit the firing of fireworks by individuals. She specifies that no request for authorization had been requested and that the police’s mission was to monitor the usually problematic places, while Jean-Marie Vanderschueren, head of the Local Prevention Partnership in Natoye, believes that the police force is insufficient to enforce this regulation on a night like that of December 31.
Informed of the problem, the animal welfare alderman of Ohey, Arnaud Paulet, immediately included this point on the agenda of the College of Aldermen on Monday, January 5. “I want this file to be examined quickly and for concrete avenues to be put on the table to avoid this type of drama in the future”he says.
Multiple effects, often invisible but very real
Nicolas Yernaux, spokesperson for the Public Service of Wallonia, specifies that there is no general ban on fireworks in Wallonia, neither in the Animal Welfare Code nor in other regional regulations. However, he confirms that many municipalities prohibit fireworks for reasons linked to animal welfare, via municipal regulations.
Beyond the concrete situations reported in recent days, the question arises more broadly. The consequences are not limited to pets. Wildlife is also directly affected: panicked birds leaving their resting areas in the middle of the night, risk of collisions, disorientation, exhaustion, but also intense stress among game animals. The effects are multiple, often invisible, but very real. And in Condroz, these nuisances take on a particular dimension.
A recent change in mentalities
Amandine Creten, animal behaviorist at Sinsin, recalls that these sudden, unpredictable and repeated detonations always cause reactions of extreme panic or stress, even hidden ones. In certain species, and particularly in horses, this acute stress can lead to uncontrolled escape behavior, serious injuries, or even a fatal outcome. The effects are not always immediate and can appear several hours after exposure.
These events question the evolution of mentalities. Although awareness of animal welfare is increasing, this change remains recent. Animals have only recently benefited from a constitutional status recognizing them as sentient beings, and no longer as simple objects. An important legal development, the concrete translation of which into societal practices and behavior will still take time.
Animal mistreatment in Somme-Leuze: two dead donkeys, six others seized by the Welfare UnitMore than 50 corpses discovered on a farm: “I worked a little with blinders on and I was “ashamed””
date: 2026-01-06 01:34:00
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