Tweed residents remove over 300 adult cane toads in online challenge

A Bogangar team has taken top honours in the Tweed’s latest cane toad busting challenge, removing hundreds of toads and tadpoles in a nine day effort.

Team “The Villains” removed 139 adult cane toads and trapped a further 750 tadpoles, making up a significant share of the 1,090 toads of all life stages removed during the competition.

The challenge ran from 27 February to 8 March, with teams given nine days to remove as many cane toads as possible from their local area.

It was funded by Tweed Shire Council and delivered by Watergum, a Gold Coast based environmental non profit and registered charity.

Council’s pest animals and wildlife protection program leader Pamela Gray said the partnership helps residents take action while protecting local wildlife.

“We’re working with Watergum to build the capacity for community members to go out there on their own and have the tools to be able to do their bit to control cane toads,” she said.

Gray said community efforts like the challenge form one part of a broader response to the invasive species.

“They’re highly toxic at all life stages,” she said.

“They impact fauna, and they’re also dangerous to pets and kids.”

“We’re not saying that toad busts are the answer, but they are one more tool in what needs to be a coordinated campaign to get rid of cane toads.”

 

Watergum invasive species manager Emily Straton said the online format allows residents to participate from home, which is key for a species that moves across property boundaries.

“One of the biggest challenges with cane toad control is that they traverse private land,” she said.

“If it’s only managed at a council level, you’re restricted to public spaces, so getting the community involved is really important.”

Rather than relying on organised group events, the challenge encourages neighbours, families and friends to form teams and remove toads from their own properties.

“The online competition is a way for people to compete while also benefiting their own properties at the same time,” Straton said.

The Villains team member Stephanie Edwards said the competitive element helped tackle what can feel like an overwhelming task.

 

“It motivates you when you feel like you’re part of something bigger,” she said.

Edwards said the night time hunts added to the appeal.

“Because it’s at nighttime, and you’ve got your head torch on, it’s a bit like a game of spotlight,” she said.

A key part of the program is making it clear what to do after capture, which can otherwise stop people from taking part.

Watergum has set up a network of community drop off points where collected toads can be taken for humane euthanasia.

“People often don’t know what to do with the toads once they’ve collected them, so they simply don’t go out and do it,” Straton said.

“We have a series of established drop off points, and these are basically volunteers who have opted to have a fridge freezer set up at their properties,” she said.

“They allow the general public to drop off cane toads there and then handle the humane euthanasia.”

Straton said humane treatment is central to the program.

 

“Historically, there seems to be a breakdown in normal, decent behaviour when it comes to cane toads,” she said.

“They’re not at fault for being here, they were introduced by humans and they’re just trying to survive.”

“It’s really important that we treat them humanely.”

She said the organisation is working to challenge harmful behaviour, particularly among younger people.

“There seems to be some kind of disconnect with cane toads and it’s a bit horrifying that people are teaching their children to torture animals and thinking it’s okay,” she said.

“We’re really trying to break that behaviour.”

While the competition runs only a few times a year in the Tweed, residents are encouraged to continue removing and logging cane toads year round through Watergum.