Dog walkers warned after poisoned meat found in West London parks

A warning has been issued to dog walkers after suspected poisoned meat was found in two west London parks, leaving several animals ill or dead, News.Az reports, citing Standard.

The Metropolitan Police said that toxic chicken was found in both Holland Park and Brompton Cemetery over several days. Officers believe the meat may have been left in the green spaces deliberately to target either foxes or dogs.

A dog which ate some of the meat was reported to subsequently become "very unwell", while two foxes were found dead with no obvious signs of injury.

Dog owners have been urged to remain vigilant and prevent their pets scavenging for meat in the area, while police have told the public that dogs should be kept on leads at all times in Brompton Cemetery. One professional dog walker told that he had witnessed similar incidents in the past.

Kris Sikora said: "In this case, it's poison meat. Before we've had toys that have been left around that have been poisoned. The worst one that really shocked me was razor blades being left in tennis balls."

Sikora added that dogs should be taken to the vets if they eat something unknown, advising pet owners to stay as vigilant as possible. One woman walking her dog in Holland Park told the BBC that she was “totally disgusted,” while another added that the poisoned meat might stop people bringing their dogs to the park.

There were reports of similar incidents in Birmingham parks earlier this month, as dog walkers warned on social media of several incidents of rat poison being placed down in Victoria Common Park.Several dogs also became ill after visiting Parkhurst Forest on the Isle of Wight last month after a suspected poisoning, as walkers were urged to stay away from the beauty spot.