Greater Wellington is urging dog owners to keep their dogs away from the Hutt River and Wellington Harbour beaches until staff have checked these areas for dead possums poisoned with 1080.

Recent heavy rain from early morning, Tuesday 31 May 2022, may have washed dead possums, poisoned with 1080, down the Hutt River and into Wellington Harbour. This is as a result of a possum control operation on Friday 27 May 2022 in the Kaitoke Regional Park and the Hutt Water Collection Area.

Greater Wellington are erecting warning signs and checking beaches from Petone right through to Pencarrow. Once the level of the Hutt River has gone down, staff will check both sides for possum carcasses from Te Mārua to Petone.

Greater Wellington Biosecurity Manager Richard Romijn said that any dead possums aren’t a threat to people but would still be poisonous to dogs.

“While people aren’t at risk from these poisoned carcasses, we take the threat to dogs very seriously. We’re putting up warning signs along beaches at Petone and the eastern side of the harbour from today (Tuesday 31 May) and along the Hutt River as soon as the water level has dropped.

“We urge dog owners to avoid all eastern harbour beaches from Petone to Pencarrow, and the Hutt Riverbed. Anyone walking their dog near the harbour beaches and Hutt Riverbed should keep their animals close on a lead and not allow them to scavenge, until warning signs have been taken down”.

This warning to dog owners could be in place for up to four months, depending on how long it takes for the possum carcasses to breakdown.

If dogs have any contact with a dead possum in the vicinity of those risk areas, owners should get their dog to vomit and take it to a vet immediately.

For more information on this proposed operation and the precautions you can take to ensure safety for you and your pets, visit our 1080 page.

Get to know the facts at 1080facts.co.nz

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