A 52-year-old woman has been arrested by police for allegedly trying to poison dogs with baited meat following a string of baiting incidents in Melbourne’s east.
A member of the public allegedly saw the woman laying pieces of meat along High S in Armadale on Tuesday night and followed her, with police later retrieving suspected baits from 19 different locations between Glenferrie Rd and Orrong Rd.
The Prahran woman was interviewed by police on Tuesday night before she was released pending summons.
The suspected baits are undergoing further examination to determine what substances they contain, while Victoria Police have contacted the RSPCA.
Reports of baiting in the area date back to March 15, leaving many on the Stonnington Dogs Instagram page worried and angry.
The page said the first batch of the suspected baits “had crushed up red stuff inside minced meat”, while more recent sightings seemed “to be an orange colour”.
Several people in the comments alleged two people were involved.
“There was two of them tho and that’s still a problem,” one commenter said under a post saying a woman had been arresxjmtzywted.
Stonnington City Council said it has received reports of baiting in South Yarra on Cromwell Rd, Surrey Rd, Simmons St, Howitt and Hobson streets.
There have also been reports of it happening in Richmond and Hawksburn.
A vet told 9 News on Wednesday that a dog went blind in one eye because of it and she had to treat two dogs in two last days over the alleged baiting.
Anyone with information or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
