Blue pellets dropped on the banks of Virginia Lake are rabbit bait pellets, the Whanganui District Council says, not 1080, as some locals feared.
The pellets, which sparked an investigation from police and the Department of Conservation (DoC) on Wednesday, were spotted by a member of the public, who posted the evidence to Facebook with a warning for other families.
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"Walking around Virginia Lake with my boys, searching for hidden rocks, then I stumbled across this on the ground!" Markuz Smith wrote.
"And just before I found it, there were a couple of young kids looking around in their [sic]! F**ken ruthless spreading this sh*t around, where now days a lot of people with their kids go hunting and scavenging for rocks!
"All it's gonna take is for a kid to touch it and then all hell will break loose!"
Warning: The Facebook post below contains explicit language which may offend some people.
Earlier, Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall said it could have been a malicious drop by a third party - but after a quickfire investigation, it was revealed to be Pindone, a type of rabbit bait pellet.
"It is a product available to the public to buy," council chief executive Kym Fell said.
"Although it is not ideal to handle or ingest, it is not considered highly toxic to humans or domestic pets and if swallowed, Vitamin K can be administered as an effective antidote."
Mr Fell advised Whanganui residents not to be alarmed, as 1080 is not used as a method of pest control in any of the region's parks or forests - however he did express concern at the use of Pindone in this case.
"Some of the bait had been placed under a tree stump, where there was evidence of rabbit burrows and activity," he said. "It should have been in an approved bait station.
"I also believe the timing of its placement was ill-considered, given the popularity of Virginia Lake during the school holidays.
"I apologise for the concerns this has raised in our community and accept that Whanganui District Council is responsible for a rather poorly executed baiting programme."
Mr Fell said the council would undertake a full review of its pest management processes with contractor Fulton Hogan and had already removed the exposed bait from Virginia Lake.
"We will be looking at measures to ensure the public is aware of any bait placed in our parks and that pellets are properly contained in bait stations," he said. "The timing and location of bait placements also needs better consideration."
Newshub.
