More than 30 bags of a potentially lethal pest control poison have been found on a beach in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council were notified yesterday that around 15 small bags containing Feratox, an encapsulated form of cyanide used for pest control, had been found on the high tide line at Waiōtahe Beach, west of Ōpōtiki last night.
Feratox was an encapsulated form of cyanide often used for possum and wallaby control.
If inhaled, it could lead to a coma with seizures, apnea, and cardiac arrest, with death following in a matter of seconds.
Council staff, alongside local contractors and an iwi representative, undertook a search from first light on Friday morning.
“This search has now concluded with 33 individual bags of Feratox collected from Waiōtahe Beach and Bryan’s Beach,” a council spokesperson said.
“No bags were located at Hukutaia and Snells Beach, East of Ōpōtiki Harbour, and West of Waiōtahe Estuary.”
The collected bags would be disposed of in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The council advised people to exercise caution in these areas despite them being open to the public again.
“Please keep dogs on leads to reduce the risk of scavenging,” the spokesperson added.
It was not yet known where the cyanide capsules originated from or how they came to be on the beach.
