Caroline Hammat
A young Warragul couple have been left devastated after their planned Easter getaway ended abruptly following the death of their seven month old kelpie, Marley.
Tyler Hough had never been to South Australia before but along with his partner, Brianna, they joined mates for their first trip to the region.
After a seven and a half hour drive on Good Friday, the couple arrived at their camp site on the beach south of Nora Creina near The Cutting.
“We arrived about 4.30pm and decided to pitch up camp and start to enjoy the beach,“ Mr Hough said.
“Then around about 9pm everything just went south.“
Mr Hough described the upsetting details of what they experienced with their dog who they believe had ingested a 1080 fox bait at some stage.
Initially Marley vomited and the couple thought little of it, thinking it had been a big day and she would be ok.
But within 20 minutes the young dog showed extreme signs of distress.
Mr Hough said he could tell that she was in a lot of pain.
“We didn’t understand at the time what was going on, I don’t know how to even explain it,“ he said.
The young couple tried to calm their dog and took her for a walk, checking her over for any signs of something causing her pain.
“She tried to attack me which she’s never done before, she probably thought I was causing the pain.“
Marley began to have seizures and within 15-20 minutes of showing the signs of distress she passed away.
“It was late at this point and we had no idea where to go or what to do.“
With no phone reception and the tide hindering access the couple had to stay the night.
After a sleepless night the group went for a walk along the beach in the morning and spoke with other campers to warn them of the possibility of bait and ask if they had seen anything.
The young couple cut their stay short and left the campsite Saturday morning heading home to Victoria.
Marley’s body was taken directly to their vet on arrival.
After sitting with the vet for some time and describing Marley’s symptoms the vet said she had seen similar cases and it sounded like poisoning.
“Marley was our first dog, we are obviously heartbroken,“ Mr Hough said.
“I hope what happened can at least raise awareness for other people because it was the last thing that we ever expected to happen.
“She was very intelligent and better behaved than most of the older dogs.
“We spent a lot of time training her because, being our first dog, we wanted to make sure that everything is right.“
Mr Hough said after he and his partner had left the site to go home one of his friends found what he believes was bait on the beach around a kilometre from their campsite.
During their time at the beach, and the drive to the site, no members of the group saw any signs warning of bait being laid in the area which is a requirement on crown land.
Mr Hough’s friends eventually saw 1080 bait warning signs as they neared Beachport on Sunday afternoon.
“Even on the track that we came in there was nothing, no signage or anything.“
Mr Hough said Marley had been on a lead while they were at the beach and she did not wander at all.
“I kept her on a tight leash the whole time because she was a puppy and we didn’t trust other dogs.
“The only thing I can make sense of is when we were setting up camp we tied her to the car.
“In a way, we weren’t watching then because we were setting up.“
A Department for Environment and Water spokesperson said there were many strategies employed to deal with foxes, which include baiting.
“Foxes are known to have caused the extinction of many species in Australia and are currently considered a threat to 76 threatened species,“ they said.
“A number of strategies are used to manage foxes in South Australia, including shooting, trapping, den fumigation and coordinated baiting.
“PIRSA regulates the conditions for laying baits. For more information please refer to PIRSA.“
They confirmed that baits on Crown Land and within national parks are generally the responsibility of the Department for Environment and Water (DEW), and need to comply with any product label directions for use which can be enforced by PIRSA.
“When baits are used on Crown Land and National Parks, DEW notifies neighbours, erects signage and returns to collect any bait left over,“ the spokesperson said.
“The department also ensures no baiting occurs or is left in an area ahead of busy periods.
“Under very strict conditions, baiting occasionally occurs close to beaches, however, appropriate signage is required.
“Air dropping of baits only occurs in very remote areas not accessible to the public and under very strict conditions.“
If a pet owner suspects their pet has ingested fox bait, the advice is to contact your veterinarian immediately and report the incident to PIRSA on 1300 799 684 or email pirsa.ruralchemicals@sa.gov.au
