Cane toads
These toads were being used successfully in the Caribbean islands and in Hawaii to combat the cane beetle, a pest of sugar cane crops. After good reviews from overseas, Hawaii shipped a box of toads to Gordonvale, just south of Cairns. These were held in captivity for awhile and then they were released into the sugar cane fields of the tropic north. It was later discovered that the toads can't jump very high so they did not eat the cane beetles which stayed up on the upper stalks of the cane plants. At the time of year when the beetle's larvae were emerging from the ground, no toads were about. So the cane toad, as it came to be known, had no impact on the cane beetles at all and farmers had to go back to the use of chemicals to kill the beetle. Meanwhile, the 'cat was out of the bag' or, more accurately, the toads were out of the box! But there were only 102 of them so nobody gave any thought to catching them up again and disposing of them. The toads were on their own and they proved to be very hardy survivors. They turned out to be a lot more than they bargained for and it didn't take long to find out how well the toads would do in their new Australian home. Firstly, they breed like flies, as the saying goes. Each pair of cane t
Cane toads have proven themselves to be one of Australia's worst environmental disasters. Since 1935, they have spread across most of Queensland, they are over the border into the Northern Territory and they have now reached the world-renowned wetlands of Kakadu. Their numbers are staggering in the dry southeast Queensland area and they are spreading down the coast. Quite a few have hitched a ride down to Sydney in vegetable trucks and they have established themselves at the 2000 Olympics site. This area of Sydney is also the largest remaining stronghold for the endangered Green and Golden Bell frog. Toads are responsible for the reduction of many species of Australian wildlife although 'nature finds a way' eventually. Some bird species have somehow learned how to eat cane toads without exposing themselves to the toxin. They kill the toad and turn it over onto its back. They pull away the soft belly skin and partake of the internal organs, leaving the skin and the deadly paratoid glands behind. There is also an Australian snake species called the Keelback or Freshwater snake which is somehow immune to the toad's toxin. Keelbacks swallow and digest entire toads without any ill effect at all. Surely there is important information to be gained from an intense study of the Keelback snake's biology. Many people have decided that there are just too many toads and they have spread too far - therefore, why bother to try to get rid of them? Well, something can be done and the first obstacle is to forget how many of them there are and just get out there and concentrate on your own little patch. If lots of people look after lots of little patches, a big impact can be made. The Australian government should get involved. They should set national days every month, where people go out and 'get the toads'. You can help eliminate cane toads on your property, at a nearby playground or creek and at your school ground. This can be done at various stages of the cane toad life cycle. For example, you can pull their eggs out of ponds and streams; you can
Some common words found in the essay are:
Keelback Freshwater, , Golden Bell, Northern Territory, Cane Toads, Ibis Crows, cane toads, kill toad, food supply, cane toad, toads eat, eat cane, compost bin, australian frogs, sugar cane, cane beetles,
Approximate Word count = 1381
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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