More possibly tainted meat found in Runcorn, Grange

Brisbane pet owners remain on edge with new reports of possibly tainted meat left in two suburbs.

ON EDGE dog owners worried about a rash of dog baitings have posted warnings about meat found on the ground, including in a dog park, on separate sides of Brisbane yesterday.

Warning posts have surfaced on social media claiming mince was found at Grange and that pieces of meat were found in a dog park in Runcorn late Wednesday.

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Although it is not yet known if any of the meat found this week was tainted, dog lovers around Brisbane remain fearful following the deaths of three dogs suspected of having ingested poison after visiting city dog parks.

The RSPCA has confirmed a complaint has been lodged about the mince found on Newton St and Evelyn St at Grange, but they had not received one from Runcorn.

Nigel McLennan posted a warning on Facebook saying he had contacted the Brisbane City Council and the RSPCA about the mince.

“We are looking into whether testing is available or not,” he wrote.

“RSPCA has asked me to keep today’s sample in the fridge so I’m hoping they will be able to test it. We don’t know if it’s poisoned, we don’t know if it’s malicious and we don’t know if it’s just the result of someone feeding birds as some birds will fly off with their meals.”

A screenshot of one of the newest warnings being shared among dog owners. Picture: Facebook

A photo of a couple of random pieces of meat being shared around dog lover groups on Facebook with a warning to dog owners. Picture: Facebook

Mr Mclennan then warned for other dog owners to keep an eye out for sick pets and wildlife.

A separate post by Sunnybank resident Stefanie Black warns that raw meat was found at a dog park in Runcorn.

Miss Black, 19, said she was leaving the dog park about 9.30am Wednesday with her 7-month-old dachshund, Puccini, when she saw the meat on the path near the entrance gate.

“I just saw it on the ground and had heard of baitings in New Farm, so thought ‘oh God’,” she said.

“If it had been dog treats or even cooked chicken, it wouldn’t have been so suspicious, but it was bits of raw meat,” she said.

Miss Black said she decided to err on the side of caution so took a photo and sent it to the Brisbane City Council via a text message number provided on their web site.

“I got a response saying ‘contact the police’ a few hours later,” she said.

“But before they responded, I had already contacted the police.

“I filed it online to PoliceLink and got an email reply from them saying they’ve received it, but I haven’t heard anything back from them yet,” she said.
A Queensland Police spokesman said no complaints had yet been received from Runcorn or Grange.
Staff at the Animal Emergency Service said they had no records of any dogs being brought in for suspected poisoning overnight.

A screenshot of one of the newest warnings being shared around with various Queensland dog groups. Picture: Facebook

This photo is being shared around dog lover groups on Facebook, claiming to be pieces of meat oddly left in or near a dog park in Runcorn on Wednesday. Picture: Facebook

The Brisbane Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Service in Albany Creek also did not see any cases overnight.

A Brisbane City Council spokesman said no reports had been received about dog baiting in Runcorn, but two dog parks in that suburb had been inspected.

“While any investigation into dog baiting is a matter for Queensland Police and the RSPCA, Council is aware of the issue and has inspected locations at Nathan Rd Park and Wakerley Rd Park in Runcorn and found no evidence of any kind of poison or bait,” he said.

“Following recent reports of dog baiting in Newstead, Council has established covert cameras in dog parks across Brisbane.”

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced on Tuesday that security cameras would be installed at undisclosed off-leash dog parks.

Teresa Griffo's beagle puppy, Berlin, who was allegedly poisoned at New Farm Park. Picture: Supplied

Although social media posts have claimed eight dogs have died from alleged poisoning in the past couple of weeks, local vets are so far only aware of the three dogs dying after visiting off-leash dog parks in New Farm and Newstead.

Although vets suspect the canines have died from ingesting poison, none have undergone autopsies to confirm the suspicion.

RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said today that only one of the deaths had been confirmed.

“There has only been one confirmed death and there is still no confirmation that this was definitely caused by a deliberate baiting,” he said.
Warnings with claims that baited meat or random pieces of meat have been found have popped up almost daily this week.

An empty packet of rat bait was found near a bin inside a Meadowlands dog park in Carina on Monday, right before a man said he had found meat containing bait.

Council staff members have also not found anything in their searches of New Farm, Newstead or Carina.

Queensland Police said additional patrols of dog park locations had been introduced and urged anyone with further information to ring Police Link on 131 444.