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Bush Futures Invasive Species - Cane Toads

Bush Futures Invasive Species - Cane Toads 233.63 KB

Cane toads

The Bush Futures project has engaged an Invasive Species Officer to help the community control cane toads in Byron Shire. The invasive species project will train and equip community toad buster groups and increase community awareness about cane toads. Also the project aims to limit toads from breeding on some sites by creating barriers around water bodies known to be breeding sites. 

Stopping cane toads from breeding

Cane toads lay eggs in ponds,  dams and slow moving waterways and a single toad cane lay up to 35 000 eggs in one season. Toads like waterways with low grass and little vegetation right up to the bank. Toads cannot jump very high so a barrier fence 60 cm high excludes toads from breeding sites. Byron Shire Council has already had great success with a pond at Mullumbimby Golf Course. No toads have got through the fence whilst nearby ponds still have toads breeding in them producing thousands of tadpoles.

You can create an exclusion fence around ponds or dams on your own property by fencing and planting native vegetation. Information is available on the fact sheet: Excluding Cane Toads from Water Bodies. 

Cane toad musters

The Bush Futures project is organising cane toad musters in many different areas around the shire.

At the musters you can learn about:

  • The native frogs of the area
  • The impact of Cane Toads
  • How to identify Cane Toads
  • What you can do to help native frogs
  • How to safely catch Cane Toads

What to wear and bring

  • Bring along a torch.
  • Please wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves and covered shoes
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult

Cane toad mustering groups

  • Bangalow Landcare and Rivercare
    The biggest toad this season was caught by Bangalow toad busters.
    Contact: David
    www.bangalowlandcare.org.au/contact
  • Bolimo Drive Ocean Shores
    This groups has caught a great number of morph and juvinille toads.
    Contact: Wendy 02 6684 1805
  • Fern Beach Toad Busters
    Volunteers caught over 700 toads in February 2011.
    Contact: Judy 02 6680 5549
  • Myocum Toad Busters
    Toad numbers are not too high in Myocum and this group is ensuring it stays that way.
    Contact: Susan susanjohn2481@australis.net
  • Tyagerah landcare
    This group meets once per fortnight during toad season.
    Contact: Bela 02 6684 7113

Why are toads in Byron Shire?

Cane toads were introduced to Australia in North Queensland in 1935 to control cane beetles. Because toads can lay up to 35 000 eggs per breeding season the toad populations increased rapidly. The large population also spread quickly, including moving south along the coast. However the first toads in Byron Shire were not from the northern migration.

Cane toads were introduced to Byron Bay between 1964 and 1966, supposedly to control garden insects. The toads moved throughout the shire at an average rate of 1.07 km per year. The toads moving down from Queensland through the Tweed Shire arrived in the north of the shire in the late 1970’s. 

What problems do cane toads cause?

 

Cane toads are a threat to our native wildlife in three ways:

  1. Cane toads are poisonous at all stages of life from eggs to adults.  Toads have had a severe impact on snakes, lizards and other native animals that try to feed on the toads.
  2. Cane toads eat very large quantities of prey. The main dietary items consumed by cane toads are insects and this includes rainforest snails and many ground beetles. A toad in Whian Whian was found to have eaten 24 rainforest snails and another juvenile toad had eaten 270 flying ants in one evening. Toads also occasionally eat vertebrates such as ground nesting hatchlings and eggs, frogs and even small mammals.
  3. Cane toads compete with native animals for food and habitat.

Cane toads are poisonous to pets and many pet dogs have been killed by ingesting toads. The poison also affects humans and there have been injuries to eyes when people hit toads causing poison to squirt into their eyes.

How do I know I have found a toad not a frog?

Byron Shire Council has produced a poster to help with identifying frogs and toads. The poster has the 28 species of native frogs in the shire. Posters are available from Byron Shire Council administration office in Station Street Mullumbimby for $4 each. 

NSW National Parks has information on identifying toads is online at:

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/pestsweeds/IdentifyingACaneToad.htm

There is also frog and toad call information available at:

Frogs Australia: http://www.frogsaustralia.net.au/conservation/cane-toads.cfm

What can you do to help control cane toads?

  • Toad proof your dam or ponds.
  • Notify council if you see tadpoles or toad eggs on public sites
  • Learn how to identify toads correctly and then catch toads and collect toad eggs on your own property.
  • Join a toad muster group.
  • Keep pet food and water out of reach of cane toads.
  • Keep food scrapes out of reach of cane toads.
  • Plant native gardens rather than short mown lawns because toads prefer short grass.
  • Turn off outside lights when not in use as toads congregate under lamps to eat insects attracted to the light.

For more information contact Wendy Gibney, Invasive Species Officer on 02 6626 7028 or wendy.gibney@byron.nsw.gov.au