Catching cane toads gets easier

Turning cane toads against themselves

A mere 100 adult cane toads were let loose 80 years ago. Today hundreds of millions of the poisonous toads now occupy millions of square kilometres of Australia and the task of reducing their numbers seems almost impossible. For many years, the only option for reducing cane toad numbers has been the hand capture of adults – or toad busting.

However, a recent discovery by University of Queensland (UQ) scientists may tip the balance in our favour. Researchers found that cane toad tadpoles are drawn to a chemical attractant released by toad eggs, from which a pheromone-based bait has been developed by UQ scientists.

This bait can be used to attract the ‘toad-poles’ into a trap, removing thousands of next generation toads in one easy step.

To coordinate the trapping efforts, a program called the Cane Toad Challenge (CTC) has been developed that aims to fast track the roll out of cane toad tadpole trapping across Queensland and beyond.

Mooloolah River Landcare (MRL), an affiliate member of UQ’s CTC, provides a pick-up location for the baits referred to as BufoTabs.

The baits are provided free of charge and MRL produces ready-made traps, or can show you how to construct your own from basic materials.

“Our interest in the CTC began when volunteers at the MRL nursery noticed that cane toads had entered and bred in their frog pond,” MRL coordinator Karen Schmidt said.

“A trap was constructed and a BufoTab placed in it. Over the next week, the trap consistently caught more than 1,000 tadpoles each day.

“Within a few minutes you can see the tadpoles swim towards, congregate around and swim into the trap.”

MRL wants to promote and roll out the CTC program comprehensively across the Sunshine Coast to help knock back the numbers of these invasive pests and give our native species a chance to re-inhabit their waterbodies again.

The BufoTab is highly selective for toad tadpoles and does not attract frog tadpoles. The trapping method also allows for retrieval of non-target species that incidentally enter the trap before it is emptied.

Once trapped, toad tadpoles are easily collected, humanely euthanised and disposed of safely.

“While we understand that the method won’t eradicate cane toads altogether, tadpole trapping reduces cane toad tadpole numbers and disrupts the breeding cycles of local populations, alleviating the environmental impact of this toxic invasive pest,” Karen said.

If you would like to reduce cane toad numbers in your pond, creek or waterbody to give native species a fighting chance, drop into Mooloolah River Landcare Nursery at 2670 Steve Irwin Way (Holcim site) in Glenview, during the nursery opening hours (Monday- Wednesday, 8am-4pm and Saturday 9am–1pm) to pick up baits and traps.