Cane Toad Program in my old Neighbourhood in Australia

In Australia, cane toads are a problem. They were originally imported from Brazil and released in the north about 50 or 60 years ago, I think, to combat sugar cane beetle. The problem is, they contain two sacs behind the head which contain a poison deadly to just about everything. If a dog eats the cane toad, that toad dies, but so does the dog. Ditto with snakes, lizards, and most birds. One species of large black crow, however, has figured out that they can flip the cane toad over and rip its guts out and eat them. This is the only bird that can handle a cane toad. To a human, the cane toad poison is not deadly, but can make you very sick.

Cane toads eat smaller toads and frogs, fish, insects, etc. Maybe small snakes, too, I dunno. They tend to wipe out the local frog and normal toad population.

So cane toads have been breeding and breeding and breeding virtually with nothing stopping them. They look like regular warty toads, but much bigger. Recently a huge one weighing several pounds and more than a foot long was caught, so they are getting bigger, too.

They are gradually pushing down from the north, and have now reached Sydney.

Some people play “cane toad golf” when they find one, whacking it with a golf club. Some people douse them with a flammable substance, like BBQ starter, and have a cane toad bonfire. Many people, though, think those methods are too cruel. We just pushed it into a plastic bag, then tied the bag tight and stuck it in the freezer. You leave it overnight. The toad gets lethargic, then goes to sleep, then dies from hypothermia. Just like a Canadian in the wilderness. In the morning, you have a “toadsicle” or “toadcube” which you can toss in the rubbish.

They are in my former neighbourhood of Carindale in Brisbane, but one man there has started a “toad watch” and is doing something about it. Read about it here:
Courier Mail article Sphere: Related Content