SYDNEY DOG OWNERS WARNED OVER COUNCIL PLACING RAT POISON IN PARKS: ‘SO WRONG’

A man was spotted with a bucket full of poison which many say is harmful to dogs and native wildlife.

Dog owners are being warned to be careful when visiting dog parks around Syndey after one pup ingested rat poison being placed by council contractors.

The furious pet owner was at Sydney Park in Alexandria earlier this week when she spotted a man with a bucket of exposed rat bait. However, ended up at the vet after her dog ate some.

The Sydney woman snapped a photo of the council contractor and shared it on Facebook, which was later reshared in another local group. “The guy is putting out rat bait in Sydney Park, ostensibly by the council,” she wrote. “His open bucket was behind him and my dog ate some. At the vet now, be careful,” she warned.

Updating members of the Inner West dog group, the pet owner said she was at first informed by the City of Sydney council it was not their doing. But in another update, she revealed the council admitted it was.

She claimed “they’ve been baiting for the past two years because of Leptospirosis” — a bacterial disease of humans and animals commonly spread by rodents. “It’s the worst type of rat poison according to the vet,” she added.

Worried dog owners furious

The revelation had other dog owners worried and furious with the seemingly careless act.

“This is just so wrong in so many ways,” one person wrote. “A very unsafe practice kills both our dogs and our native species,” shared another.

Others noted the man should not have had an open bucket or poison to begin with. “It should be in containers so only rats can get it,” one explained.

Council explains use of rat poison in Sydney parks

A City of Sydney spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News a rat baiting program has been carried out by a licensed pest controller in the park. However, they’re expected to “follow safety and legislative requirements” which would help prevent an incident like this from occurring.

“In public spaces, rat baits are placed in secure, tamper-proof rodent control containers,” the spokesperson said. At the time, it appears the contractor was placing the bait into a secure baiting station.

The council said it’s aware of the incident with the dog ingesting the bait. “We have been in contact with the dog owner and discussed the situation with them,” they said.

“We have also discussed this with our contractor and reiterated the safety requirements we expect them to follow while carrying out this work in public,” the spokesperson added.

“The City requires our contractors to use rodenticides that mitigate the risk of secondary poisoning and that respond to antidotes readily available to veterinary practices.”