Cane toad

What they look like:

two large toxin-filled parotid glands behind the ears
coloured brown, olive-brown or reddish
thick, leathery skin
may appear dry
males have more ‘wart-like’ lumps than the females
heavily built and up to 20cms long
small feet, with claw-like un-webbed digits to dig
a visor or awning over each eye
bony ridge extends from eyes to nose
developing eggs appear as a long, clear gelatinous strand
developing tadpoles appear as a black bead strand
tadpoles are coloured black

Where they live:

moving from Queensland into other states
temperatures, shelter, food and water limit breeding capabilities
present in coastal dunes, woodlands, rainforest and freshwater wetlands
adapt to urban areas

In 1935, Queensland Government introduced the cane toad (Rhinella marina) to control cane beetles. The experiment failed and the cane toad population has spread to New South Wales, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Although regarded as undesirable, the cane toad isn't officially declared a Queensland pest.

Issues

The cane toad is a threat to:

pets
children
native fauna

Environmental

Cane toads cause environmental damage including:

produces venom toxic to native species
toxic life stages
affects water quality
eats small reptiles and mammals, insects and birds
displaces and out-competes native species for food and resources

Social

Cane toads social harm includes:

eats human and animal faecal material
transmit diseases including salmonella
toxic illness or death to humans and domestic animals if venom ingested. Other symptoms include:
- accelerated heartbeat
- breath shortness
- excessive saliva
venom is painful if rubbed into the eye
pollute containers by eat and drink domestic pet food

Economic

Cane toads economic impacts include:

reduce water quality in small catchments
decrease the tourism value of natural areas

Prevention and control

Cane toad prevention and control is the landowner's responsibility.

Egg removal

Mature female cane toads lay thousands of eggs per season, in long, clear gelatinous strands with black eggs.

To remove eggs use disposable gloves and:

lift out of water
put the egg strand in bag and throw out
lay the eggs in the sun and dry

Fencing

Cane toads don't climb well or jump high; fencing should be:

fifty centimetres high
made of moulded plastic or metal

Note: Fencing may also exclude some native wildlife species from the water body.

Natural barriers

Natural exclusion barriers can cane toad-proof areas, provided they are well positioned with no holes. Barriers include:

small, dense bushes
shrubs
grasses
other natural objects including rocks and logs

Humane euthanasia

Strand of cane toad eggs - copyright Queensland Museum

Section 42 of the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 allows pest animals euthanasia including cane toads provided the method is 'done in a way that causes the animals as little pain as is reasonable'. However, before killing any 'presumed' cane toad, ensure it is correctly identified.

The most humane euthanasia method for cane toads is chemical injection or emersion. As residents don’t have chemicals access, stepped hypothermia (or chilling then freezing) is the most practical method. Freezing cane toads in one step is painful with ice forming on the skin and in the organs. Steps include:

Refrigerator chill cane toads at four degrees Celsius for an hour to induce unconsciousness.
Freeze them for 16 hours minimum.
Remove from freezer and either, bury them or put them in a compost heap. They are a good natural fertiliser but make sure pets cannot get to the compost heap.

PDF icon Keep cane toads off Moreton Island Link opens a new window (PDF - 273kb)