Tag: cane toad

Cane toads …

Ms. Gillard has threatened the states with a big stick. The response of West Australian Energy Minister Peter Collier …

 ”They can carry on with their political blackmail all they like … She has the credibility of a cane toad”.

I have never heard such vilification … of cane toads. But Professor Bunyip has occasionally been unkind to yabbies. I hope thes people have permission from Nicola Roxon.

Cane Toad …

It seemed a good idea at the time …

PerthNow reports that  professor Rick Shine of Sydney University’s School of Biological Sciences has successfully attracted Cane Toad tadpoles into funnel traps using toad toxin as a bait.

“A chemical bait created from the toads poison is a real magnet for toad tadpoles,” he said.

“This is perfect to use in funnel-traps in ponds to catch toad tadpoles. Other native fauna such as fish and insects aren’t attracted to this chemical but toad tadpoles are incredibly good at detecting it, and they search for its source as soon as they encounter it.

“When we use this chemical as bait in a funnel-trap we catch thousands of toad tadpoles and almost nothing else.

“In one natural pond, we collected more than 40,000 toad tadpoles in less than a week. And I think we got them all – over the next few weeks, not a single toad emerged from that pond.”

It is unlikely that this technique alone will eliminate the toad but does offer a means of tackling isolated populations or reducing numbers in environmentally sensitive places.

Ford give an insight into another popular control method …