NATURAL SOLUTIONS
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recover, given a few decades, thanks to behavioural
shifts and some natural selection.
But none of this is much consolation for the animals
(including household pets) that die, or the farmers
dealing with parasite-infested dung piles lying around
because cane toads have decimated dung beetle
populations, or the people spending countless hours
and dollars trying to halt the invasion in a bid to
protect Australian ecosystems. To top it all off, the
toads didn’t even solve the cane beetle problem.
There is no easy solution to the ongoing spread of
cane toads, the parliamentary inquiry concluded. “The
best we can do is limit their numbers where they exist,
and prevent their spread into places they have not yet
invaded,” the inquiry report said.
A few ways of doing that have been attempted or
researched over the years, such as the following.Collecting adults
It’s called toad busting: heading out on a warm
night, picking up adult toads, and disposing of them
(see ‘Humane killing’ above). You can do this as a
community on a toad muster, or alone in your backyard.
Kimberley Toadbusters, a community group in WA,
was established in 2004, fi ve years before toads crossed
into the state. The group spent those years toad bustingon the Northern Territory side of the border, in a bid to
slow the front and reduce numbers.
Founder and president Lee Scott-Virtue estimates
that volunteers collected almost 3 million adult toads
in those fi ve years. She and just three other volunteers
collected 6432 toads in one Christmas night alone.
As a result of the group’s efforts, when the invasion
did arrive in WA, the numbers were nowhere near as
great and the scenes nowhere near as devastating as
Lee had seen in the NT.
“The efforts of voluntary toad busting movements
work more effectively than any other method,” she
says. “It won’t stop the toads but it can reduce the
impact on an ecosystem when the toads arrive.”Biological or genetic controls
The CSIRO has tried and failed to develop a genetically
modifi ed virus to control toads. Lungworm and
amoebas that are fatal to toads are being investigated.
And an equivalent to the rabbit-killer myxomatosis
may yet be found.
But so far, no biological solution to the cane toad
plague has been identifi ed. And even if one were, it
would take a brave person to rubber stamp it, says
Professor Rob Capon of the University of Queensland.
“Releasing another biological control to controlThere is some disagreement about what
is the most humane way to kill cane toads.
The NSW Department of Primary Industry’s
standardoperatingprocedure,CAN001,
writtenin2011,recommendsthreemethods:
Spraying with a product called HopStop
(sinceCAN001waswritten,anotherproduct,
Croaked,hasalsocomeonthemarket).
Stunningfollowedbydecapitation.
Prolonged exposure to carbon dioxide.
However, 2015 research by Professor
Rick Shine suggests that refrigeration for
a few hours followed by freezing for a few
days gives toads a pain-free death (the
refrigeration stage, which puts the toad
to sleep, is crucial). The RSPCA has called
for more research to be done, and for
CAN001 to be updated.
Fans of cane toad golf should note that the
RSPCA considers blunt trauma to be inhumane
unless carried out by a competent operator.
And disinfectant is not only considered
inhumane, but a potential environmental
contaminant, too. Wear protective eyewear
and gloves when collecting toads.Humane killing
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