Taronga Zoo using controversial 1080 poison to kill foxes

FOXES are being targeted with 1080 poison by Taronga Zoo outraging animal rights organisations like the RSPCA which has campaigned for alternative ways to cull fox numbers.

Portrait of curious red fox hiding in the bush.

ANIMAL rights groups have slammed Taronga Zoo over its use of a controversial poison to kill pest foxes near its grounds.

The zoo is using 1080, which is banned in many countries and administered using a Canid Pest Ejector (CPE) device which sprays the bait into the animal’s mouth.

Groups such as RSPCA Australia and Animal Liberation NSW say the poison causes a slow and painful death and it is not target specific — meaning domestic dogs, cats or wild animals could be at risk.

A sign attached to a tree indicating 1080 poison has been laid

However, Taronga said it is using the chemical in a “safe, responsible manner” and the risk to cats and dogs is “negligible”.

A spokesman for the zoo said it cannot afford to risk the loss of animals after foxes killed three quokkas and 12 little penguins since the late 1990s.

“Where possible we look to employ pest-control methods that minimises suffering and we use baiting as a last resort,” he said. “In the case of foxes, we have to act swiftly and other methods are ineffective in the face of the immediate threats they pose.”

However, Alex Vince from Animal Liberation NSW said: “It is absolutely unbelievable that an organisation like Taronga Zoo which claims to protect animals would use this poison.

Foxes have killed the zoo’s animals before

“If an animal eats the corpse or the bones of an animal that has been killed with 1080, then it will be poisoned too.

“A CPE is like a springboard on the ground with a meat bait on top. In the USA, children have mistaken one for a sprinkler, but it’s a like a bolt gun designed to shoot poison.”

He added that 1080 was an unreliable quick fix solution and suggested more humane pest control methods like fertility control.

An RSPCA Australia spokeswoman said 1080 is not a “humane poison” because of the amount of suffering it causes.

“The RSPCA has campaigned over many years for further research into alternatives to 1080 so that it can be phased out and replaced with more humane alternatives,” she said.

A fox bait of dried kangaroo meat laced with 1080 poison

However, the zoo spokesman said experts at Local Land Services advise that 1080 is the most suitable bait.

“Taronga ensures that pesticides are applied to public places in a safe, responsible manner minimising potential harm to the community and the environment,” he said.

North Sydney Council uses 1080 at Balls Head Reserve in Waverton, Berry Island Reserve and Badangi Reserve in Wollstonecraft.