# Toad Busters banned from gassing pests



## Fuscus (Dec 31, 2009)

*Published On:* 12-31-2009
*Source:* http://www.abc.net.au

A group fighting to keep cane toads out of Western Australia's Kimberley says it is being stopped from using carbon dioxide to gas the toads because bureaucrats have told them it's too cruel.


I think CO2 is a lot slower for reptiles and amphibians than it is for mammals! Can someone enlighten me?

*Go to Original Article*


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## Kitah (Dec 31, 2009)

Yeah, I've heard that before, and I can understand why.. It makes sense, when reptiles and amphibians have slower metabolic rates, they don't require as much oxygen and thus would survive longer when being gassed with CO2. Both the aerobic and anaerobic respiration methods would be drawn out in these guys (in comparison to mammals, particularly rodents and birds which have very high metabolic rates), prolonging death. 

Even still, its a tough call... Is the prolonged death painful and stressful to the toads (sufficiently to be considered inhumane, and if so, in who's eyes/opinion?) and is it still justifiable to use this method to try and control these pests a bit? Its a trade off...


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## wiz-fiz (Dec 31, 2009)

i wonder how they gas them, do they put traps out and collect the taods then gas them, or go out on excursions and do "on the spot" gassing at sight? compared 2 blunt trauma and freezing imo the gassing would b more effective. hopefully they are allowed to gas them.


Will


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## Veredus (Dec 31, 2009)

The bureaucrats at DEC seem to have forgotten that the letters stand for Department of Environment and Conservation, relating to australian native organisms. Protection of the Kimberley and NOT humane treatment of the toads, should be their primary concern.


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## cris (Dec 31, 2009)

Veredus said:


> The bureaucrats at DEC seem to have forgotten that the letters stand for Department of Environment and Conservation, relating to australian native organisms. Protection of the Kimberley and NOT humane treatment of the toads, should be their primary concern.



Very good point. I certainly dont think gassing should be banned, but they should be encouraged to be as humane as is practical. Killing an animal in an inhumane way to avoid having to kill it with blunt trauma seems a bit stupid, but thats humans for you.


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## snake_lover (Dec 31, 2009)

They just use detol now... and wiz-fiz they go out on trips catch them in creeks put them in bags and then pour detol into the bag. they are all dead within about 5 seconds.


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## Chris1 (Dec 31, 2009)

the community needs to be able to drop the toads off somewhere if they want people to help control the problem.

i dont think i could blugeon one to death and if i had kids i certainly wouldnt enourage them to bludgeon any animal to death. but id be happy to collect them and take them somewhere for someone else to deal with.

banning gassing is ridiculous, would giant blenders be more humane?


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## Jen (Jan 3, 2010)

We had an AEC meeting at work a few months ago, and this was brought up - alternate methods of killing cane toads were discussed, and one which stuck in my head was the use of a nail gun. I was shocked at first, but then I compared it to how cows are killed in meat works, and the similarity made me wonder if it was humane for the toad - slow suffocation (non mammal) vs poison (detol - fast but still poison) vs a bolt to the brain and instant death. Still undecided, but any humane way to kill cane toads is a go in my book.


And yes, I did get the vision in my head of someone yelling "Pull"......(and I got the giggles in the middle of a major company meeting)


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## SLACkra (Jan 3, 2010)

I was up in northern nsw a few weeks ago with my grandparents. Ended up catching about 42 toads all of which I killed by crushing the skull/brain. It's quite simple, place the toad on a hard object. place a rock or part of a brick ontop of the toads head then as quickly as possible stamp down on said rock or brick. It's not pretty but its nicer than detol.


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