A poisonous cane toad sitting on a keeper's hand at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. An Australian state government called for the army to be deployed against an invasion of toxic toads.(AFP/File/Rob Elliott)
Posted on 06/18/2006 3:26:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian state government called for the army to be deployed against an invasion of toxic toads.
Battalions of imported cane toads are marching relentlessly across northern Australia and the West Australian government wants soldiers to intercept the environmental barbarians.
State Environment Minister Mark McGowan has written to Defence Minister Brendan Nelson asking permission to use soldiers based in the neighbouring Northern Territory to kill the toads.
"The army in the Northern Territory is greater than any other part of Australia," McGowan told national radio.
"We'd seek the Commonwealth (federal government) to help us in fighting this terrible threat to native fauna in Western Australia."
The toads, Bufo Marinus, were introduced from South America into northeast Queensland state in the 1930s to control another pest -- beetles that were ravaging the sugar cane fields of the tropical northern coasts.
But the toads now number in the millions and are spreading westward through the Northern Territory, upsetting the country's ecosystem in their wake.
Cane toads have poisonous sacs on the back of their heads full of a venom so powerful it can kill crocodiles, snakes or other predators in minutes.
All attempts to fight the spread of the toads so far have failed.
A poisonous cane toad sitting on a keeper's hand at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. An Australian state government called for the army to be deployed against an invasion of toxic toads.(AFP/File/Rob Elliott)
The toads, Bufo Marinus, were introduced from South America into northeast Queensland state in the 1930s to control another pest -- beetles that were ravaging the sugar cane fields of the tropical northern coasts.
But the toads now number in the millions and are spreading westward through the Northern Territory, upsetting the country's ecosystem in their wake.
--
Unintended consequences or what?
Whoa, the French are actually invading Australia?? Where's the outrage??
"An Australian state government called for the army to be deployed against an invasion of toxic toads."
Expatriate Liberal Dems?
Just wondering.
Wasn't this a Simpson's episode and it was Bart's fault?
lol.. I think so.
I'm glad somebody mentioned it. I didn't want to be rude to the toad wrangler.
Are those the toads that when you lick them, you get high?
Ewww! I thought that was a big toe.
Don't mess with mother nature. Kudzu comes to mind. At least it's not poisonous.
Bufos are bad news for dogs (and probably other animals). They can be fatal if bitten, and if a dog bites one once and survives, they ALWAYS do it again because of the "euphoric" experience they had the first time. I lost one of my childhood dogs this way, and she was a strong, young, strapping purebred Pitbull.
Note: If you suspect your dog has bitten one, take a garden hose and wash out your dog's mouth then take him/her to the vet ASAP. One of the immediate signs is convulsions with foam in/around the mouth. (My vet is who told me about the using a hose.)
Man I hate a bunch of Toxic Cane Toads.
Import cane toads to Australia to eat beetles. Import Kudzu into the American South to stop erosion. Import English Ivy because it's pretty. Import nutria to Louisiana for a cheap supply of fur.
Say it with me, kids: No natural enemies. Let that be a warning.
Ribbit' Ribbit' Ribbit'
Keep movin movin movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them toadies movin'froghide!
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope and throw and stomp 'em,
Soon we'll be living high and wide.
Now, now, it's a bit extreme to call it an "invasion", isn't it? Think of it more as an undocumented stream of toads who just want to do the work that local toads won't do.
Not quite, but they're kin. Some forms of bufotoxin are hallucinogenic but, like most naturally-occurring hallucinogens, in higher doses they're toxic.
Give every kid a pellet gun and $1 per toad bounty. They'll disappear quick enough.
What gets me is all the eco-freak alarmist stuff about deformed frogs and diminished frog populations due to pollution, and here these toads are marching across Australia as an unstopable scourge.
We have these in S. FL too. I have to really watch the dogs, because these dudes know they are toxic and they seem to have no fear of the dogs. And dogs...well, they're stupid! Nasty critters....and I actually like reptiles and amphibians. But these things should be eradicated. However, if it's like fire ants, the govt will take a "We can't really kill them, so we'll just control them" approach. Meanwhile, they wreck havoc on the native species.
susie
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.