Elwood cheese mystery: blocks sent off for testing amid baiting fears
UPDATE: People and pets living in Elwood have been warned to stay away from mysterious blocks of cheese scattered around the streets amid baiting fears.
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UPDATE: People and pets have been warned to stay away from mysterious blocks of cheese popping up in Elwood amid baiting fears.
Port Phillip Council confirmed it has sent two blocks off for testing and urged residents not to let their dogs eat the dairy goods.
Chief Executive Peter Smith said people should dispose of the cheese “safely in a bin and wash their hands”.
“While there is no indication the cheese has been poisoned, we take these reports seriously and the cheese is going to be tested to ensure it has not been planted as dog bait,” Mr Smith said.
“Even if the cheese receives the all clear, we advise dog owners to keep an eye on their pets as eating that much dairy product can make dogs vomit.”
Council officers will also be keeping a lookout on their regular patrols for the “unwanted dairy product”.
The warning comes as dozens of blocks, perfectly cut into the size of butter, have been found inside pot plants, on residential streets and near the beach at Tiuna Grove and Byrne and Bendigo avenues, over the past few weeks.
In what’s been dubbed The Great Elwood Cheese Mystery, the council has joined residents in their quest to find the mystery dumper.
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Many believe foxes are to blame, but no one knows where exactly it is coming from. One theory is that an elderly woman in the area is putting them out to feed birds, but many believe there are way too many blocks for that to be possible.
“It’s out of control. This ain’t no little old lady. Average pension vs average price of cheese, it just don’t add up,” one woman said on Facebook.
“Maybe it’s an eccentric but benevolent fox millionaire?”
Rachel Cassar, of Elwood, says her dog has found seven blocks in the past two weeks alone — including one in her front yard.
“Someone continues to plant a mass amount of cheese blocks throughout the area,” Ms Cassar said.
“My friend already had her dog’s stomach pumped after they ate one.
“Many are now mouldy and my dog throws it back up (but) others are pristine and my dog seems to be fine with those ones.”
Emma said her dog Ollie found a block of tasty cheese in one of her pot plants a few months ago, despite her not buying cheese for years.
“My pooch kept scratching in there and I couldn’t work out why. I had a look and found a dry block of cheese,” she said.
“Crazy thoughts crossed my mind but I reassured myself that maybe I had drunkenly thrown a block of cheese in the pot years ago or something.
“What the hell. I find it strange that a fox would bury cheese in a pot plant on a patio and also would think they would stay away from other animals. Ollie has surely peed on there before.”
On Facebook, another woman said she’d even reported the matter to Port Phillip Council, after finding seven blocks in one walk along the path headed to Elwood beach, between Tiuna Grove and Ormond Esplanade.
Two were found at the lights, two at the beach and three in the bushes.
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