‘No animal should suffer the torture that Bo did’
Northern Beaches Council resolved to ban 1080 poison (sodium fluoroacetate) on council land at its meeting on 17 February, becoming just the third council in NSW to do so.
It is legal to use 1080 in NSW to control wild dogs, foxes, feral pigs, and rabbits which threaten native plants and animals. But it is lethal to cats and dogs and can cause vomiting, anxiety and shaking, and prolonged suffering before death.
The motion to ban 1080 poison was led by Greens Councillor Ethan Hrnjak.
“I was thrilled that a majority of councillors agreed that the toxic, outdated 1080 poison has no place on the Northern Beaches,” Cr Hrnjak said. “1080 is not a targeted control method. It does not distinguish between a fox, a bandicoot, a goanna, a companion animal, or a raptor that scavenges a poisoned carcass.”
A report on humane alternatives initiated by Cr Hrnjak in August 2025 reported that council already used and preferred more accurate, effective and humane methods, such as shooting, trapping and den fumigation. Cr Hrnjak said he had received confirmation that council received no reports of pets dying due to 1080 on council land.
NSW National Parks & Wildlife (NPWS) uses 1080 baiting on its land, including on the Northern Beaches where a baiting program using 1080 is operating until 31 July in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, targeting foxes.
A local dog named Bo reportedly died after ingesting 1080 in January. Domestic pets are not permitted on NPWS land.
“(He) frothed at the mouth, vomited, defecated, bashed through doors, ran into walls and had convulsions,” Cheryl Forrest Smith from the Coalition Against 1080 told Cr Hrnjak. “No animal should suffer the torture that Bo did,” Bo’s owner Val told Ms Forrest Smith.
NPWS has removed more than 193,000 feral animals from NSW national park since March 2023, it told PL. A spokesperson said that the supply and use of 1080 was strictly controlled to minimise impact on the environment and limit harm to native fauna and domestic animals.
“All NPWS 1080 baiting programs are undertaken in accordance with pesticide control orders and detailed risk assessments that ensure operations are undertaken in accordance with statutory requirements and minimise potential impacts on native species,” the NPWS spokesperson added.
Council staff are working through the recent decision, including any adjustments that may be required to its programs. Locals can report fox sightings via the Fox Scan app or website.
