Invasive species

Cane toads (Rhinella marina) were introduced to Queensland in 1935. They are toxic at all stages of life and can cause environmental damage, including:

• poisoning and killing anything that consumes them (e.g., native birds and reptiles, as well as some domestic animals)
• eating small reptiles, insects and other amphibians
• displacing and out-competing native species for food and resources

They can cause illness or death to humans if toxin is ingested.

Although non-native, the cane toad is not listed as a species that must be managed in the Biosecurity Act 2014. This is because they have become so well established that eradication is no longer feasible, so they are considered to be naturalised. However, all landowners have a general biosecurity obligation under the Biosecurity Act 2014 to manage cane toads on their land.

What you can do

Remove cane toad eggs

• Cane toad eggs appear as long, clear gelatinous strands with black eggs. To remove eggs, use disposable gloves and lift each strand of eggs out of water.
• Lay the eggs in the sun to dry and dispose of them in general waste bins.

Capture cane toad tadpoles

• Tadpole baits can be purchased which are produced using cane toad toxin but are safe to handle. The lures are designed to be placed in a tadpole trap, which can either be purchased or made from a plastic container with holes added to allow tadpoles to enter.
• Tadpoles can be disposed of in the same way as cane toad eggs.

Adult cane toad capture

• There are several types of adult cane toad traps that can be purchased. When placed near water, they can be effective in capturing adult toads. Some traps simulate mating calls, which can increase captures significantly.
• The humane way to dispose of adult cane toads is by placing them in a container and putting it in a fridge for 24 hours. This will send the cane toad into hibernation. They should then be moved to a freezer for 24 hours, after which, they can be disposed of in a general waste bin.

Ensure you wear gloves and exercise caution when handling cane toads, eggs or tadpoles.

To report cane toads:

• complete our feral animal sightings form 
• call Council on 07 3403 8888. 

Keeping Moreton Island cane toad free

Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is one of Brisbane's most important natural assets, and it is one of only a few locations in coastal Queensland where cane toads are not established.

In 2011, the Australian Government introduced a threat abatement plan to guide efforts by all levels of government. The threat abatement plan supports the protection of offshore islands, including Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), to prevent cane toad impacts upon native species.

Council undertakes various activities to keep Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) cane toad free, including:

• an educational program for visitors
• eDNA surveys to identify microscopic evidence of cane toads
• cane toad detection dogs to sniff out cane toads that may have hidden in vehicles and camping equipment.

Be vigilant when unpacking, as every year cane toads try to sneak across with visitors. As camper trailers, utes and vehicles are unpacked, be on the look-out for stow aways. If you find one, contact the Park Ranger who will ensure it is humanely euthanised.

To report cane toads on Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), you can:  

• complete our feral animal sightings form 
• call Council on 07 3403 8888. 

Download the fact sheet to learn more about how you can help keep cane toads off Moreton Island.

Video: Cane toad detection

One of the ways we’re ensuring cane toads stay off the island is by using cane toad detection dogs.

View a demonstration of the cane toad detection dogs.

Transcript 

Hi. My name's Steve Austin and this is Tommy.

Tommy's a working English Springer Spaniel and we're very fortunate to work for the Brisbane City Council at the lovely Moreton Island, doing our very best to make sure no cane toads get on the island, to help Brisbane City Council.

Hopefully we can continue to keep Moreton Island free of toads.

The red imported fire ant (fire ant) (Solenopsis invicta) originated in South America and is the most dangerous invasive species in Australia. Bites from fire ants can be severe and can cause severe allergic (anaphylaxis) reactions requiring first aid or an emergency response.

The Australian Government, in partnership with all states and territories, is delivering the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program, to prevent their spread.

Fire ants look like ordinary house or garden ants. They vary in size from 2-6mm and are copper brown in colour with a darker abdomen.

Fire ants can be identified by their aggressive behaviour when their nest is disturbed. 

Nests can be inconspicuous and look like a small bucket of soil that has been gently tipped onto the ground. There are no entry or exit holes, and no ant activity will be observed if the nest is undisturbed. Nests can be established in garden beds, lawns, pot plants, along fence lines, and along the edge of concrete paths.

What you can do

If you suspect you have fire ants, keep children and pets away from the area where you think there is a nest.

Don’t touch the nest or break it open until treatment has been completed. 

For more information about fire ants, visit the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.

Yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracillipes) are listed as an invasive biosecurity matter in the Biosecurity Act 2014. Yellow crazy ants have the potential to form 'super-colonies' with multiple queens, and a very high density of individual, aggressive ants.

Yellow crazy ants don’t sting, however they may spray formic acid, especially when disturbed. This can burn or irritate the skin and eyes of animals and humans, requiring immediate flushing with water and medical attention.

Named after their erratic walking style and frantic movements, yellow crazy ants are about 5 millimetres long, are yellowish tan in colour, with a slender body and long antennae.

Report yellow crazy ants

To report yellow crazy ants, you can:  

• complete our feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888.

European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are listed in the Biosecurity Act 2014 as a species required to be managed in Queensland.

Foxes prey on native animals and poultry, so it is important to ensure enclosures are fox-proof to protect poultry.

Council undertakes an integrated approach to fox management to protect Brisbane’s native wildlife. This includes monitoring, education, trapping and providing assistance to landholders.

Report a European red fox

To report foxes, you can:

• complete our feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888.

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are listed in the Biosecurity Act 2014 as a species required to be managed in Queensland.

Feral pigs are widespread across Brisbane. They favour waterway corridors and wetland areas, which provide required food, cover and a constant water supply.

Feral pigs a uproot vegetation and trample the ground in search of roots and tubers, causing erosion and sediment issues that negatively impact on water quality. They destroy native vegetation and contribute to the spread of weeds. Feral pigs carry diseases that effect native flora and fauna, livestock and people.

Council undertakes an integrated approach to feral pig management. This includes monitoring, education, trapping and providing assistance to landholders.

What you can do

If you would like assistance managing feral pigs, or to register your property as a management location, you can you can:

• submit a feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888.

Deer are a non-native species listed in the Biosecurity Act 2014 as required to be managed in Queensland. There are three species of deer found in South East Queensland that were originally introduced for hunting purposes:

• Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis)
• Red deer (Cervus elaphus)
• Fallow deer (Dama dama).

Feral deer can:

• damage native vegetation
• compete with native wildlife for resources and habitat
• reduce water quality in creeks, wetlands and river systems through over-grazing and trampling the ground
• damage residential gardens and fences
• create traffic hazards
• attract illegal hunting
• transmit diseases and parasites to humans, domestic animals and wildlife
• behave aggressively.

Council undertakes an integrated approach to feral deer management to protect Brisbane’s natural environment. This includes monitoring, education, trapping and providing assistance to landholders.

What you can do

If you would like assistance managing feral deer, or to register your property as a management location, you can:

• submit a feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888.

There are many species of non-native pest fish included in the Biosecurity Act 2014 . Many of these species are present in South East Queensland waterways. These species are listed in the Act include:

• alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula)
• black pacu (Piaractus brachypomus)
• carp (Cyprinus carpio)
• Chinese weatherfish (Misqurnus anquillicaudatus)
• climbing perch (Anabas testudineus)
• gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki)
• giant cichlid, yellow belly cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis)
• marbeled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus)
• spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus)
• Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus and Tilapia mariae).

If caught at an approved fishing location, these species must be immediately and humanely killed and must not be returned to the water. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, people cannot possess noxious fish, or keep, hatch, rear, sell or move from an area, so they must be disposed of at the location where they are caught, such as in a Council garbage bin at the location.

Council has developed a management strategy which is outlined in the Biosecurity Plan for Brisbane.

Report pest fish

To report a noxious fish species in water bodies in Council parks, you can:

• report the sighting to the Queensland Government.
• phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

A domestic date (Felis catus and Prionailurus bengalensis x Felix catus) is one that has an owner, is microchipped, and is kept and fed by humans. All other cats are classified as non-domestic cats.

In the Biosecurity Act 2014 they must not be distributed, given away, sold, traded, released into the environment or fed.

Cats are known to carry parasites including toxoplasmosis and feline hook worm, both of which may impact upon human health. They can also transmit feline immunodeficiency virus which is potentially fatal to cats.

To prevent interactions between non-domestic cats and pets, always keep your cat safely secured or inside. Under Council’s Animals Local Law 2017, owners are required to provide an enclosure for their animal to keep it on the property and prevent it from wandering.

Council undertakes an integrated approach to non-domestic cat management to help protect Brisbane’s native wildlife. This includes monitoring, education, trapping and providing assistance to landowners.

What you can do

If you would like assistance managing non-domestic cats on your property yourself or with Council’s assistance, or to register your property as a management location, you can:

• submit a feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888.

Red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) are listed as an Invasive Biosecurity Matter in the Biosecurity Act 2014. It is illegal to keep, breed, sell, or knowingly harbour red‑eared slider turtles.

Red-eared slider turtles are an exotic freshwater turtle from the United States. They can be identified by:

• a red stripe behind the eyes
• the ability to retract their heads into their shells, unlike native turtles which wrap their heads around their shells.

Red-eared slider turtles are very aggressive, and prey on native species like other aquatic reptiles, frogs, fish, crustaceans and insects.

Report red-eared slider turtles

Report the sighting to the Queensland Government.

Dingoes are identified as 'native wildlife' under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and are protected in national parks.

A wild dog is any free-ranging dog without an owner and includes domestic dogs living in the wild. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 wild dogs outside of protected areas must be managed.

Wild dogs can be a range of colours and sizes, depending on the mix of their bloodlines. These dogs can be territorial and aggressive, particularly where packs of dogs are encountered.

Wild dogs pose a serious threat to native wildlife and may prey on a variety of species from small frogs and reptiles to adult kangaroos and wallabies. In isolated remnant pockets of forest, wild dogs can have devastating impacts on local wildlife species. They can also injure or kill domestic pets, livestock or poultry, so it is important to keep your pets inside at night.

What you can do

If you see a wild dog:

• remain calm and walk away
• do not run away as it can stimulate their instinct to chase
• do not feed or attempt to befriend the dog.

To report a wild dog, you can:

• submit a feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888.

European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are listed as an Invasive Biosecurity Matter in the Biosecurity Act 2014. Under the Act, landholders are required to manage European rabbits.

It is illegal to keep a rabbit as a pet in Brisbane, and rabbits kept for approved purposes such as public entertainment or university research must have an approved permit from Biosecurity Queensland.

Rabbits can land degradation by:

• damageing vegetation by ringbarking trees and shrubs
• preventing regeneration by eating seeds and seedlings
• grazing on native herbs and grasses
• causing erosion by digging.

Rabbits also contribute to the decline of native wildlife numbers through competition for resources.

Report a rabbit

To report a rabbit, you can:

• submit a feral animal sightings form
• call Council on 07 3403 8888. 

Common mynas (Acridotheres tristis) are native to India and can cause significant negative impacts to our local biodiversity. There is currently no effective method to eradicate common mynas, so they are considered to be naturalised.

Mynas compete aggressively for nesting hollows, displacing, outcompeting and excluding many native wildlife species, especially hollow-dependant animals such as parrots and gliders. They thrive in areas of human habitation, having a preference for areas with mown lawns.

The common myna is often confused with the noisy miner, which is a native Australian bird with similar behaviours.

Invasive plants can have a detrimental impact on native species and vegetation.

Examples of pest plants include:

• water hyacinth
• broad-leaf pepper tree
• parthenium.

What you can do

To help control invasive plants:  

• only use native plants in aquariums and outdoor ponds (e. g. hornwort, thin vale, water sprite) 
• choose native or non-invasive plants when planting your garden 
• use our weed identification tool to identify weeds in your yard, learn control methods and replace them with native alternatives. 

You can also report invasive weeds using our online form.

Mosquitoes are common in areas with warm and wet climates.

The three mosquito species commonly found in Brisbane are:

• saltmarsh mosquitoes, which breed in coastal areas

• freshwater-breeding mosquitoes, which breed in temporary ground pools

• container-breeding mosquitoes, which breed in backyards.

What Council is doing

We deliver Australia’s leading mosquito management program all year round. 

Our teams conduct ground and aerial treatments to target breeding sites in coastal saltmarshes and temporary ground pools.

Our expert entomologists also collaborate with other local councils and the Department of Health to coordinate mosquito control throughout the region.

We inspect breeding sites regularly via:

• all terrain vehicle (ATV) teams

• utility trucks

• officers on foot

• helicopter with ground support from ATV teams for large coastal areas.

What you can do

Container-breeding mosquitoes breed in backyards and lay eggs in small amounts of stagnant water.  

You can help prevent mosquitoes breeding at your property by removing any standing water around your home.

Download our factsheet to learn more about mosquito control.

If your plant species is not on this list, check our weeds database to identify it and find out how to keep it under control.