Dog safety fears over suspected poison hidden in stitched kidney near Linear Park Trail at Dernancourt

A kidney, expertly sliced and filled with suspected rat poison, has been found at Dernancourt, prompting fresh warnings for dog owners over deadly baits.

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Suspected rat poison elaborately hidden inside a stitched kidney has been found near the Linear Park Trail in Adelaide’s northeast suburbs.

The kidney was sniffed out by a curious labrador who was drawn to a grassed area just two metres off the popular track at Dernancourt about 7.30am on Monday.

A local resident, speaking on the condition on anonymity, said she poked the kidney with a stick after pulling her pooch away.

“That’s when I saw it was full of this stuff inside, like crushed rat bait” she said.

Suspected rat poison stuffed inside a sliced kidney, which was then stitched back up, was found by a dog on the Linear Park Trail at Dernancourt on Monday, August 31.

“It was very spooky, it’s a kidney, it has been sliced very well. It looks like the inside has been scrapped out, rat poison or something has been put inside, but it’s been stitched really neatly.

“So someone has gone to a lot of trouble – it’s revolting.”

The woman said the bait looked identical to a kidney found in the southern suburbs at Shepherds Hill Recreation Park last week.

She posted a warning to other dog owners on social media and called on veterinarians in the Dernancourt and Tea Tree Gully area to share the news to help warn dog owners.

“We just want to warn people,” she said.

Tea Tree Gully Council has been notified of the find and the incident was reported to police.

“We encourage anyone who finds suspicious items such as these to call police immediately on 131444,” an SA Police spokesman said.

In recent weeks, suspected dog baits have been found at a number of locations across Adelaide.

Southern suburbs dog owners say are scared for the safety of their canine friends after suspicious meat chunks were found along the Esplanade at Port Noarlunga South.

In June, West Torrens Council put up a CCTV camera at Thebarton Oval after a dog walker discovered green pellets on the ground.

About the same time, bread laced with poison was found at Athelstone dog park.