across the western Kimberley. Our website,
canetoadcoalition.com, explains it all in more detail.
We don’t yet know quite how well it will work, but it
offers our best hope of saving the apex predators of
tropical Australia from the wave of catastrophic
mortality that will otherwise befall them. Of course,
some of the smaller species - the prey of those
goannas and quolls - won’t be quite so happy with me.
But the method won’t make the situation any worse. It
already been present for decades (say, coastal
Queensland), the aliens probably aren’t having much
impact on the local fauna (apart from providing tasty
treats for insects, birds and rodents). If you live near
the current invasion front (say, northeastern New
South Wales), of course, it’s a different story: the
spread of toads will be catastrophic for many large
native predators.
‘The truth is that no Australian wildlife species has gone extinct
because of Cane Toads. And in places where the toads have been
present for decades, they probably aren’t having much impact.’
might hasten the death of susceptible individuals by a Control of Cane Toads.
few months, but will also result in the survival of many
more native animals.
So, let’s say that you decide to reduce the numbers of
Cane Toads in your area. Maybe you live somewhere
To return to the main theme of this article, under-
where they are a real threat to the indigenous fauna, or
standing the nature and timescale of the ecological
maybe you just don’t like toads.
impact of Cane Toads sheds a bright light on the main
reason that people kill them - the belief that the alien How many toads do you have to remove to improve
amphibian threatens Aussie biodiversity. The truth is
the survival prospects of vulnerable wildlife? If toads
that the threat is minor in many places. No Australian were a problem because they eat native fauna, then the
wildlife species has gone extinct because of Cane
more Cane Toads you could remove the better. But
Toads. And if you live in a place where the toads have that doesn’t seem to be a big issue; instead, the main