DOGS POISONED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 93, 12 February 1947, Page 5

DOGS POISONED

CASUALTIES AT KOPEOPEO BAITS DELIBERATELY LAID If three owners of the dogs who were deliberately poisoned at Kopeopeo last Tuesday could lay hands upon the person responsible for this cold-blooded and criminal action we would hate to have to report the result. Nevertheless along with all other decent-minded citizens we join in condemning the action which can only have been perpetrated by a person of perverted and depraved mentality.

Four dogs, a splendid setter belonging to Mr J. Hignett, a sheep dog owned by Mr F. Judd and a Labrador and. a Cocker Spaniel owned by Mr P. J. Green met their deaths on Tuesday through having eaten poisoned bait, which apparently had been deliberately thrown over fences to them by some person in the vicinity. In at least two cases the victims had eaten the meat which was heavily charged with poison within a few minutes of being unleashed for a run. One actually died four minutes after being loosened.

One bait (raw) has been discov-ered-and is being analysed for content. The owners have combined in an effort to trace the blackguard responsible and are offering a £2O reward for information leading to a conviction. They state, for the benefit of the poisoner, that the dogs 'died hard' and they are determined after witnessing it to leave no stone unturned in finding the culprit. In order to do this they will have every one on their side, and reward or no reward, it is the plain and decent thing to do to bring such a warped-minded, cruel and beastial character to justice. If any person has information which may be helpful it is their plain duty as a citizen to hand it in either to the police or to the owners of the dog victims. As we go to press we learn of two other dogs poisoned last night, those belonging to Messrs. J. Miles and R. Dines, both of Kopeopeo.

PREVIOUS POISONINGS NUMEROUS KOPEOPEO INSTANCES A curious feature of the above poisonings is, that almost regularly over the past eight years there have been similar cases reported at Kopeopeo, giving rise to the belief that the same person is responsible in all instances. Reference to Beacon files show that in at least three cases, over intervals of roughly 18 months, there has been an epidemic of poisonings, whereby dogs and cats have met their deaths through eating poisoned bait, in all cases apparently, laid deliberately. Reports have caused the utmost indignation and disgust at the time, but have never brought to light the person responsible. This time a cooperative effort to discover the criminal, is absolutely essential or otherwise it will be unsafe to keep i<ets of any description in that locality.