You can’t live in Queensland without being so very aware of the much hated Cane Toad. They are literally everywhere around here so I am very happy to give some very big approval to any efforts to reduce their number.
Amelia Elgar weighs a cane toad at a collection point in Cairns yesterday. Photo: AP
Toad Day Out, the brainchild of Queensland Liberal Nationals MP Shane Knuth, was staged to raise awareness of humane ways of catching and disposing of the toads.
Prizes were awarded to children for the heaviest individual toad and heaviest total weight of toads.
The project, supported by the Townsville, Burdekin, Ingham, Charters Towers and Cairns councils, was timed to match the spirit of the event, between Earth Hour on Saturday and April Fool’s Day on Wednesday.
I am however eternally amused by the instance that they will be humanely killed by freezing them because dead is dead and there are methods of killing them that requires far less energy (Hitting them with a stick is not one they are too tough for that!) That aside, this event it a good idea that deserves to be emulated all over the entire state
Cheers Comrades
One was found the other day in the backyard of a house at Cranbourne, an outer Melbourne suburb. Apparently it arrived in a fruit box, but how long before they spread this far?
Maybe the new AFL team on the Gold Coast should be called ‘The Cane Toads’ in recognition of Qld’s contribution to Australia’s fauna?
Yes they are horrible creatures Ray but they don’t like the cold so southern parts of teh country may escape their spread (except for the occasional tourist)
Don’t have an opinion about Gold Coast AFL teams though
Might they be migrating due to ‘global warming’, Iain?
Why not find 17 maroon rugby league jumpers with which to deck them out and get ‘em to play for the Qld State of Origin team?
May I suggest this to be the most humane method of disposal?
http://joecartoon.atom.com/cartoons/67-frog_in_a_blender
Although the ads they put in nowadays are a turn off