Atlasof Living Australia, Cane Toad Occurrence records map, Family Bufonidae, est 38,038 records 1990-2024
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ABCNews, 23 November 2024:
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When Rick Ensby spotted cane toads on his Woodford Island property, he was quick to call the local Clarence Landcare group.
The Woodford cattle grazier said a control officer spent nine days removing adults and metamorphs from the area.
"It had a massive effect on the number of cane toads for quite some time after," he said.
But several years later the notorious invasive pests are back in "huge numbers", despite the best efforts of Mr Nesby and his wife.
"We both work and we work the farm as well and it's quite time-consuming to go on an emu parade every night," he said.
"We definitely will do that because cane toads are quite [poisonous] to native animals and birds that we're a little bit attached to that live around the place.
"We grow hay and we don't want [cane toads] getting wrapped up in our bales of hay and possibly transported elsewhere."
But this time Clarence Landcare was only able to offer Mr Ensby collection buckets and handbooks as Local Land Services NSW (LLS) has discontinued control funding.
Funding redirected to studies
The NSW Cane Toad Biosecurity Zone shows areas in green where cane toads have become established. (Supplied: NSW Department of Primary Industries)
The Ensbys' property was previously in a DPI Cane Toad Biosecurity Zone, which meant all cane toad sightings had to be reported.
But that classification, made in 2017, has now expired.
LLS team leader for invasive pests, Dean Chamberlain, said field surveys were being conducted to determine the cane toad's range.
"We know from where the initial biosecurity line was when it was set up that they've moved considerable distances to the west and in reasonable distances to the south," he said.
"We could spend money now where control has been done in the past, but if it is 10 or 15 kilometres off the front line, then it's not really effective management of incursion."
The Ensbys' property was previously in a DPI Cane Toad Biosecurity Zone, which meant all cane toad sightings had to be reported.
But that classification, made in 2017, has now expired.
LLS team leader for invasive pests, Dean Chamberlain, said field surveys were being conducted to determine the cane toad's range.
"We know from where the initial biosecurity line was when it was set up that they've moved considerable distances to the west and in reasonable distances to the south," he said.
"We could spend money now where control has been done in the past, but if it is 10 or 15 kilometres off the front line, then it's not really effective management of incursion."
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While cane toads have been spreading west at a rate of up to 60 kilometres a year in the tropical north of Australia, their spread south has generally been much slower.
But Charles Sturt University herpetologist Matthew Greenlees said that was changing.
"They were introduced around the Byron Bay area in the 1960s and they've spread relatively slowly compared to the expansion that we've seen in northern Australia," Dr Greenlees said.
"Since the bushfires and consecutive La Niña events and wet seasons, they just seem to be spreading more rapidly, particularly over the past three or four years.
"So from Angourie to Brooms Head [18km] it took them almost 30 years, but now from Brooms Head down to Diggers Camp [slightly further] we're talking five to six years."
Early signs this season
Clarence Landcare invasive species officer Matthew Morris said conditions had been perfect for breeding this season.
Bureau of Meteorology weather data shows Yamba received 615 millimetres of rain between May and August this year, almost double the seasonal average, and temperatures were also warmer than the median.
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"I think the toads have done a little bit better during the winter," Mr Morris said.
"Coming out of winter we had that massive heatwave for a week and a half and that triggered a number of breeding events, which we saw very early in the season being reported to us."......
Cane Toad Calls
>https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/file/0011/232004/cane_toads_call.mp3
RSPSA Knowledgebase, 17 January 2024:
Whatis the most humane way to kill a cane toad?
What killing methods are being recommended?
In 2011, the Australian Government released the Standard Operating Procedure for the Humane Field Euthanasia of Cane Toads (SOP) which was based on a comparative study of the humaneness of a range of different cane toad killing methods [1]. However, this SOP has not been updated and so omits some recently developed and evaluated methods, but it still contains some useful information. No methods are listed in the SOP as unconditionally acceptable, thus highlighting the need for more research to develop a humane killing method for cane toads.
The following method is the most humane currently available to the general public:
Cooling and then freezing – one study has shown that this method may be more humane than other methods [2, 3]. It involves placing the toad in a plastic bag or container ensuring that there is sufficient cool air around each individual toad to allow for uniform cooling and freezing (e.g. place toads individually in containers). Place the container(s) in the fridge at 4°C for 12 hours, and then after ensuring the toad is not moving (it is effectively anaesthetised), transferring it to a freezer (-20°C) for at least 24 hours to painlessly kill the toad.
Gloves must always be worn when handling toads. Toads must be confirmed dead before disposal.....
How do I know when a cane toad is dead?
When using any killing method, it is essential to confirm that the animal has died before disposing of its body. Determining death can be difficult with amphibians as their heart rate is difficult to detect and respiration can occur through the skin as well as the lungs. Absence of all of the following signs will confirm that the cane toad is dead (remember to wear thick plastic gloves when handling cane toads):
Loss of righting reflex – the toad cannot turn itself over when placed onto its back
Loss of withdrawal reflex – no response to a light squeezing of the skin in between the toes
Loss of deep pain reflex – no response to moderate squeezing of the toes
No respiratory movement – no throat movements that indicate breathing
No heart activity – no chest movement or visible pulse
Always check for these signs and do not assume an animal is dead just because it is not moving or apparently not breathing. If death cannot be confirmed, then the killing procedure must be repeated.
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