Grey nomads are being asked to remain ever more vigilant for hitch-hiking cane toads as the toxic amphibians continue their relentless spread south.
The Kimberley Toad Busters (KTB) group says the toads are now closing in on the grey nomad mecca of Broome … and are also invading bilby habitat systems for the first time.
According to a report in the West Australian newspaper, they are also endangering other creatures, including freshwater crocodiles, several species of goannas, turtles and quolls.
In the four years since the first cane toad was found in WA, the species has spread much quicker than was initially predicted.
KTB founder Lee Scott-Virtue said cane toads had already exploited about 50% of the Kimberley in three years … and could reach Perth in less than 10 years.
Apparently, the first toad arrived on the Nicholson Station Homestead, east of the Bungle Bungles last week. They are also entering Halls Creek and have now reached the Fitzroy Catchment, travelling 30km in the past two months to get there.
Ms Scott-Virtue said toads were also travelling down the Gibb River Road and were expected to reach Kalumburu at the same time they reached Broome.
“The cane toad’s human predator is still the only answer we have at present,” Ms Scott-Virtue said. “Despite the still visible impact on our native biodiversity, wherever toad numbers have been kept in control, we do see a visible difference in the number of deaths and impact on native biodiversity.”
Ms Scott-Virtue estimated about 8500 volunteers had removed about 3.2 million adult toads – about 40% of which were females.
A Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) spokeswoman told the West Australian that human intervention was a key component of its plan to stop the toads.
“The strategy involves ongoing community awareness-raising,” the spokesperson said. “The biggest risk of cane toads reaching the south-west is by hitchhiking undetected in private or commercial vehicles.”
The West Australian says that work is also continuing nationally to find ways to reduce the impact on wildlife, including using taste aversion to stop native species trying to eat cane toads, and on novel techniques to reduce tadpole survival using attractants.
There is also hope for a future breakthrough in developing a biological control agent against the toads.
Cane toads were introduced in Queensland in 1935 and have slowly spread westwards and southwards.
Have you noticed more can toads than in previous years? What do you do if you come across one of the toxic creatures? Comment below.
Everybody knows about Dettol
I have found any cheap disinfectant works, including the commercial dilutable type.
I buy a cheap 1 litre hills spray can from bunnings, about $2.00. A really powerful torch, I have a 1000 lumen tactical torch with a cree led
(see wolfeye torches on ebay or similar) cost $100. the best, most used torch I have ever owned.
I set the spray nozzle on to jet and set off just after dark, I have just about cleared our 5 acre property. I used to kill between 20 to 30 a night, now I only have a few.
We got a lot after the recent rains, they were actually breeding in the wet, boggy grass. Normally they just breed in the dams.
The spray is good, give them a good soak and they go away and hide, and you never see them again
Sorry I’m afraid I can’t put them in the freezer with my food no matter how well bagged up they are.
Good hunting.
we have noticed a lot less toads in our back yard this year last year we destroyed 3 or 4 a night (we have a jack russell terrier) so we have to be quick bfore she grabs one but this year maybe one or two a week