Those gearing up for a summer of cooling off in their favourite local swimming hole are being warned to check first for signs of blue green algae.
Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
The toxic cyanobacteria Phormidium has been coating riverbeds and lakes in a thick black mat for the past decade.
It has a similar level of toxicity to cobra venom - just a teaspoon of it can kill a 25 kg dog - and so far about 100 family pets had fallen victim to it in New Zealand.
No part of the country had been spar
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