Cane toads
History
Cane toads were brought into Australia in 1937 to control beetles that were becoming a pest in sugar cane. From those cane fields in Queensland they have spread south past Brisbane and are heading towards Sydney. They have also spread west into the Northern Territory and are now between Katherine and Kununurra at the Victoria River.
The map below shows where they are thought to be as they continue to move towards Western Australia.
As you can see by the map cane toads are not in Western Australia yet but sometimes single toads make their way here in cars and trucks. They have been found out at the border and one was found in a caravan park in Kununurra.
Impacts
Cane toads have an impact on animals as soon as they move into a new area. Goanna and quolls hunt the toads but are all quickly killed by the poison carried in the two glands on the toad’s shoulders. Other animals like the freshwater crocodile don’t disappear completely but their numbers become much smaller once the toads arrive.
Burrowing Frogs
The burrowing frog is common around this area, it lives under the ground for most of the year and when it rains comes back out to hunt and breed. They are large frogs and look a little bit like cane toads so some people think they are toads and kill them. It’s easy to tell the difference, the frog has smooth wet skin and hops; the toad has a dry rough skin with poison glands on its shoulders. When it moves it can jump only a little bit and often walks a bit like a goanna.
Trapping Toads
Nobody wants cane toads in Western Australia so the Government and local people are doing something about them.
Sixty traps have been placed close to the Victoria River as well as in Timber Creek and Kununurra. The traps can catch a lot of toads over time. In the Northern Territory where they are using the traps three caught over 1800 toads in 250 nights around one small dam.
No one knows if the traps will hold back all the toads, they are very good at travelling, especially during the wet. More traps will be spread out across the country over the next year and as the toads move to new water holes they will be trapped.
How you can help
Cane toads will kill a lot of animals in the bush, some will disappear for ever if they get here. We can all help to stop them by keeping watch. If you see something that looks like a toad you can call 1800 084 881, or take it in a plastic bag into the CALM office or the Kimberley Vet Centre.
Many of us are still a bit unsure of how to distinguish cane toads from our native frogs, here are five easy methods to determine if it’s a toad or not –
- Tips of fingers with discs (or suckers) » Not a cane toad.
- No ear drum can be seen » Not a cane toad.
- Fingers have webbing » Not a cane toad.
- No large lumps behind head on the shoulders » Not a cane toad.
- Eyes smooth with no large ridge or brow » Not a cane toad.