If you are walking your dog in Omaha, be wary of poison stations left out to control pests. 

Two bait stations in Rahul Te Kiri Reserve at the southern end of Omaha were removed over the weekend, as members of the community feared they were too close to the beach and walkway. The poison was accessible to children as well as dogs and other animals, with some of it lying openly on the ground.  

The council was informed and marked it as a ‘critical’ project. Council contractors looked at it on Friday. However, they weren't able to start a cleanup process due to it being hazardous material that only poison experts are qualified to deal with. The stations have now been removed.

The poison was believed to be Pindone, an effective pesticide used to control possums, and most commonly, rabbits. However, Pindone is also toxic to cats and dogs. Pindone is less hazardous than other commonly used poisons, but you still need to take care to prevent accidental poisoning, either from pets eating toxic bait or carcasses. The secondary poisoning risk from eating poisoned carcasses is very small.

If you see pets eating toxic bait, induce vomiting as soon as possible and take them to a vet. A vet can administer vitamin K1, which is an effective treatment, but it must be given in the early stages of poisoning.