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Sick tactic to lure unwitting dogs to death in beach bait trap

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: A dog has died after ingesting poison buried as part of a council baiting program in dunes alongside a popular dog beach.

Four-year-old Stella was lured to the scene by the scent of a baby and adult turtle carcass in dune grass at Teewah Dog Beach on the Sunshine Coast last week.

The staffy cross didn’t stand a chance against the 1080 bait, which council planted as part of its annual four-week program to eradicate wild dogs and foxes.

Noosa Council told Yahoo News Australia dogs were not allowed in the grassy area where the trap was set up and should be kept on a lead while at the beach.

Photos from a Sunshine Coast beach showing dead turtles near a 1080 poison trap and a dead staffy.
Turtle carcasses (left) were shown next to the trap, which Stella (right) fell victim to and died. Source: Blair Gealy

“The bait was placed outside of the area where dogs are allowed, but close enough to where foxes and wild dogs regularly roam and prey upon hatchling turtles,” Environmental Services Manager Craig Doolan said.

Mr Doolan said baits were tied to stakes in an effort to ward off native species, and claimed they were checked every three or four days by council officers or rangers.

Signs were positioned along the beach “every kilometre or so” and there was a small notice attached to signage at the entrance to the beach warning beach-goers about the bait.

But this was simply not enough according to Stella’s owner Blair Gealy, who had been completely unaware of the imminent danger posed to his inquisitive dog.

Council baiting area is shown metres from Teerwah Dog Beach on the Sunshine Coast.
The trap was shown set up on dunes just metres from the popular dog beach. Source: Blair Gealy

He slammed the council’s method as “reckless” and “unprofessional”, using Facebook to alert other dog owners to be extra careful during beach visits.

He photographed the sign fixed to the entry of the beach which indicated 1080 poison was being used to kill wild dogs, foxes and feral cats in the area.

The sign stated “meat” as the material used to conceal the poison, and that it had been planted on July 11.

“Domestic animals and pets can be affected,” a warning at the bottom of the sign said.

His initial belief was the turtle carcasses had been placed by council alongside the trap, but Mr Doolan said they were the work of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).

Mr Doolan denied Mr Gealy’s accusation that the turtles had been laced with bait, stating he believed they had actually “died of natural causes”.

A warning sign is seen at the entrance to a Sunshine Coast dog beach alerting the public to use of 1080 poison.
A sign erected at the entrance stated 1080 poison was being used in the area to target foxes, wild dogs and feral cats. Source: Blair Gealy

He added they were “not part of the baiting program” but were “incidental to it”, and “QPWS rangers placed the carcasses there”.

The QPWS refused to clarify how and why the turtles came to be so close to the council trap.

Mr Doolan argued the baiting program had a “good track record of eradicating only wild dogs and foxes” and officers were to follow strict protocols when setting up traps.

He said he had referred the incident to Queensland Health - the agency responsible for investigating events where off-target 1080 poisoning was suspected.

A petition has been established by her owners to pressure the Government to introduce clearer outlines for the use of wild bait on public beaches.

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