Cooked chicken bones buried under pine bark at the Girrabong Play Area in Lenah Valley

First it was human excrement. Now a potentially lethal object has been hidden in a suburban play area in a move local residents believe is targeting dog walkers.

A chicken carcass has allegedly been buried under pine bark at the Girrabong Play Area in a move local residents believe is aimed at deterring dog walkers from using the area.

A PERSON accused of pooing in a public park is now believed to be behind another bizarre plot to deter Lenah Valley dog walkers.

An alarmed pet owner has told of the horrifying moment she had to remove cooked chicken bones from her dog’s throat after he dug them up and ate them at the Girrabong Play Area on Tuesday afternoon.

The local woman, who did not want to be named, said a friend’s dog also swallowed one of the chicken bones planted near the Firth Road access gate.

Cooked chicken bones are known to be a choking hazard and can cause internal damage if they splinter.

“We grabbed their throats and opened their mouths to rip out what was in there,” the woman said yesterday.

“It looked like a whole chicken carcass had been broken up and buried under the pine bark.

“There were drumsticks, wings and a whole spine.”

While both dogs were fine and did not require veterinary attention, the pet owner said the situation could have been fatal if quick action was not taken.

A warning post on the Tasmanian Lost Pet Register Facebook page sparked strong reactions, with one woman calling for surveillance cameras to be put up and another saying the perpetrator should be jailed.

The strange situation came 10 months after a local “anti-dog” resident was accused of strategically placing human poo around the park, including on the gate.

The Mercury was told the human excrement campaign was part of long-running saga aimed at deterring dog owners from using the park.

Neighbours believe the same culprit has attacked again after a new sign was installed at the entrance of the park which states the area has been approved for off-leash access between 9am and 7pm.

“We knew after the signage went up that something would happen,” the woman involved in the latest incident said.

“We don’t have proof that it is that individual, but we have information that the individual has been loitering around the park in recent days.”

The woman said she had reported the incident to Tasmania Police and Hobart City Council.

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