Six rabbits and two foxes were left hanging on the wire fence beside Hopkins Point Road, opposite the Casuarina Court entrance, early Monday morning.

They are believed to have been left overnight by shooters.

A nearby resident described the dumping, close to built-up areas, as “disgraceful and disgusting”.

“There are kids coming and going all the time and school buses are going past,” she said.

Several residents contacted Warrnambool City Council to report the carcasses.

Angry Hopkins Point Road resident Michele Rhodes has made two phone calls to council who told her the carcasses were on private property.

“I’m just appalled at the council’s response and their lack of empathy. They don’t care about me but if it was in Canterbury Road or outside Mr Neoh’s house, how long would they be there? Five minutes,” Mrs Rhodes said. 

She said the carcasses were attracting flies and emitting a disgusting stench which would only become worse as temperatures reached 33 degrees today.

“I can’t fathom it. (I’ve made) two calls and they can’t do anything, it’s not their land,” she told The Standard yesterday after calling to report the dead animals to council.

“I think they’ve been strung up to cause distress and no one’s doing anything about it.”

She said people should not have to look at the dead animals, including the children who disembarked from school buses at the same spot.

A council spokesman said council would write a letter to the property owner asking for the animals to be removed.

But Mrs Rhodes wants the dead foxes removed by the ranger rather than waiting for council to inform the elderly property owner. She said he could be unaware of the carcasses on his land and of the furore caused by them. 

She said the owner may be physically unable to remove them himself and it would be distressing for him to have to do so. 

“I pay enough rates for the ranger to remove them ... I think it’s 64 hours too late and I feel they’re negligent and they have no empathy.”