We learn this hard lesson at different times in our lives, but the sad reality is that some people out there are dead-set on doing harm to others even if they’ve never met them.
Many of us came to this understanding when we learned why our parents checked our Halloween candy growing up, but such public concerns can crop up where we least expect them.
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Unfortunately, this means that we not only have to be vigilant for our own safety, but also for the ones we love who are too innocent to realize a saboteur’s malicious intent.
And that’s a problem that pet owners throughout Australia have had to face this year.
Police serving the area around Marrickville, Australia released a warning on Tuesday that someone had left poisonous bait in a local dog park.
As they wrote on Facebook, “Dog baits of raw chicken containing green rat poison have been located in Enmore Park.”
Police also advised that if anyone suspects their dog has eaten one of these tainted morsels, that they should be taken to a vet hospital immediately.
They gave the particular and emphatic instruction not to wait until symptoms appear before making this decision.
As News.com.au reported , this is not only because affected animals can die without showing symptoms, but also because some signs of rat poison ingestion include bulging, bleeding eyes and hemorrhaging that can manifest as bloody vomit or stool.
Less extreme, but still important, symptoms can include lethargy, unsteadiness on their legs, loss of appetite, and a distended stomach.
Curiously, Enmore Park isn’t the only place in Australia where dogs have been targeted by poisoned meat this year.
As The Brisbane Times reported , an unidentified person or group had spent the months of August and September leaving meat chunks loaded with rat poison strewn throughout dog parks in the suburbs of New Farm, Teneriffe and Newstead.
Unfortunately, a dozen of these incidents in Brisbane resulted in the deaths of eight dogs.
In response to the menace, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner would use some of the city council’s network of portable security cameras to monitor dog parks for any suspicious activity and assist police patrols.
Anyone in Marrickville with any information on the more recent case, however, is urged to contact Inner West Police.
According to News.com.au , those responsible could face charges of feeding an animal a harmful or poisonous substance and leaving poisons for the purpose of killing a domestic animal if apprehended.
These crimes are punishable of up to five years in prison and the equivalent of a $14,753 fine.
h/t: News.com.au , Brisbane Times
