M
MrBredli
Guest
TERRITORIANS dutifully killing cane toads to stop their spread could be wasting their time, a new report says.
Report author Professor Tony Peacock, chief executive of the Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre at the
University of Canberra, says killing the toads is not stopping them.
"There is no evidence that physical removal of cane toads has slowed the invasion of toads towards Western
Australia," the report says.
"Toads have moved west at the same pace since community on-ground control began as before it, although the
biomass of toads at the front has no doubt been diminished.''
But FrogWatch NT co-ordinator Graeme Sawyer disputed the findings.
Mr Sawyer has just returned from the Great Cane Toad Muster at Bullo River Station and said the results of efforts to
stop the toad could already be seen.
"One of the things that's evident from the results of the muster is that there seems to be an entire age class of toad missing,'' he said.
Mr Sawyer said the Western Australian Government needed to do more to help stop the toad crossing the state border.
Prof Peacock wrote the report - Community on-ground cane toad control in the Kimberley - for the WA Government.
He predicts the cane toads could reach the WA border by next year.
"Toads now occupy a large proportion of the Victoria River District southwest of Darwin and are close to the Western Australian border,'' Prof Peacock says.
"At the current rate of spread, the toad invasion is likely to spread into Western Australia in 2008, 2009 or 2010.''
Prof Peacock believes the rate of spread will be determined by the length of the wet season.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/10/09/2288_ntnews.html
Report author Professor Tony Peacock, chief executive of the Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre at the
University of Canberra, says killing the toads is not stopping them.
"There is no evidence that physical removal of cane toads has slowed the invasion of toads towards Western
Australia," the report says.
"Toads have moved west at the same pace since community on-ground control began as before it, although the
biomass of toads at the front has no doubt been diminished.''
But FrogWatch NT co-ordinator Graeme Sawyer disputed the findings.
Mr Sawyer has just returned from the Great Cane Toad Muster at Bullo River Station and said the results of efforts to
stop the toad could already be seen.
"One of the things that's evident from the results of the muster is that there seems to be an entire age class of toad missing,'' he said.
Mr Sawyer said the Western Australian Government needed to do more to help stop the toad crossing the state border.
Prof Peacock wrote the report - Community on-ground cane toad control in the Kimberley - for the WA Government.
He predicts the cane toads could reach the WA border by next year.
"Toads now occupy a large proportion of the Victoria River District southwest of Darwin and are close to the Western Australian border,'' Prof Peacock says.
"At the current rate of spread, the toad invasion is likely to spread into Western Australia in 2008, 2009 or 2010.''
Prof Peacock believes the rate of spread will be determined by the length of the wet season.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/10/09/2288_ntnews.html