I am always reluctant to kill an animal – any animal – but I am less reluctant than usual when it comes to Cane Toads. They are a real pest up here and are spreading steadily to the south and north-west, decimating local wildlife as they go. They breed prodigiously, eat nearly anything that is smaller than themselves, and poison our predators.
The only not-so-dark spot on the horizon is that surviving native predators do seem to learn to deal with them, avoiding them and then, apparently, learning to eat them without getting poisoned, e.g. by flipping them over and eating everything except the poison glands on the top of the head. Whatever the reasons, anecdotal evidence from long-term residents suggests cane toad numbers and size around Townsville have dropped in the last forty years.
That is good, but it would be even better to knock their numbers down still further: hence Toad Day Out.
After the success of Toad Day Out in 2009, 2010 and 2011, it has become an annual event. You can join with the rest of your local community and play your part in reducing the numbers of these pests in a humane way.
When – Sunday 25 March
Where – Thuringowa Soundshell
Time – 8.30am
Sponsored by Townsville City Council. More information: http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/
More about Cane Toads: http://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/CaneToads/ or (more detailed) http://australianmuseum.net.au/Cane-Toad