Pest contractors on the West Coast are taking extra security precautions after a pet dog was poisoned in an apparent 1080 protest.
The dog belonged to a 1080 contractor and was fed the fatal bait as it waited in its owner's Ute.
The deliberate poisoning has reignited the 1080 argument that has been smouldering on the West Coast for months.
The dog's owner would not be interviewed, but told 3 News he noticed the animal frothing at the mouth after vomiting the remnants of three pellets.
Just one sixth of a pellet is enough to kill a dog.
The Animal Health Board, which oversees the West Coast's 1080 programme, is furious.
"Absolutely ropeable - it just doesn't need to go to this extent," Animal Health Board's Helen Cash says. "I was absolutely gutted for the guy concerned because he's an absolutely brilliant guy. He's got the farmers best interests at heart for the work he's doing, and at the end of the day he's doing his job, he's an employee."
Opponents to 1080 are also disturbed by the poisoning, but not surprised.
"I'm sure they'll be upset, I know I was," 1080 opponent Carey Dillon said. "But there is a message here and that is that feelings are running very, very high."
The West Coast has long been a hotbed of for anti-1080 sentiment, many locals saying the ongoing use of the controversial poison is putting their health at risk.
"The aerial disbursement of 1080 is very scary," Carey Dillion says. "If you've got a helicopter flying not too far from your house and dropping 1080 pellets everywhere, it's terrifying. We’ve got to move back from peoples' homes and their water."
The Animal Health Board says the West Coast has the highest rate of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the country, and it is a serious threat to the region's farming industry.
“It’s big and people just aren't appreciating how big it is for the coast and how urgent it is for the coast to get on top of the TB problem,” says Helen Cash.
Police are still investigating the poisoning and there is concern from all sides in this fight about how far some are willing to go.
3 News