The destruction of NE Australia's ecosystem

Those of you who are from this region are well aware of the cane toad problem. The cane toad has taken over and have no natural enemies. They were brought to Queensland in 1935 from Hawaii to control the cane grubs and beatles; unfortunately, the toads do not eat either, but will eat everything else. They are extremely toxic and I believe there is *no* predator that can survive their toxins. Death adders, birds, dogs, and even children have been killed by the toxins secreted through the toad's skin. In one summer, a female toad can lay over 40,000 eggs, and most survive into adulthood. These toads are destroying the ecosystem of Queensland and have probably spread much further.

How can we control this situation? Obviously, introducing a novel species into a different habitat is a bad idea, but how do we stop the destruction once the alien species starts to take over the ecosystem? What can be done to control the populations of cane toads?

Peace and love

 

Unfortunately, there's relatively little that can be done that will actually prove effective. People have been trying different things for decades to no avail. I'm affraid we don't have any good solutions at present. Also, Cane toads are one on a long list of introduced species that has devestated Australian wildlife and cropland.

 

True, I just saw the funniest video (not funny b/c of the subject, but funny b/c of the characters) on cane toads. If you haven't seen it, it's called Cane Toads: An Unnatural History. It was probably made in the '60s or 70's but it showed a wide range of views, from the destruction of the ecosystem to people losing their goldfish in ponds to kids playing with them like dolls. There was even one kooky guy who like to hear and watch them mating(?) and another kooky guy who did everything he could to kill them. I mean, he had a huge pile of them, dead, next to him with a lead pipe and a dead one in his hand, like some kind of trophy. The same man tried to hit as many as he could with his car, and I swear he looked drunk, swerving from one side of the road to another (when he hit them, they exploded like balloons). You really should see this film.

It's too bad this is happening. If there was some way to make the toads infertile or destroy the eggs, it might help, but one must also consider the risks to other species. Unless there was something very specific (like a chemical) that would only affect the toads, most solutions to kill the toads (such as widespread pesticide) would harm the entire ecosystem. As of now, I agree there's not much that can be done. Unless everyone driving ran over the toads. Hey, there IS some good that can come from cars!

Peace and love