Published:http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24454758-2761,00.html
Cane Toads
Thousands of cane toads killed near NT
ALMOST 50,000 cane toads have been destroyed within two weeks on a Northern Territory cattle station near the WA border, says a group fighting the pests.
WA-based Stop the Toad Foundation (STTF) said about 25 volunteers working for the group's third annual great toad muster had killed the huge haul of toads on Auvergne station, about 100km from the WA border.
Environmentalists say the cane toad "front'' is now just 40km from the border and threatening WA's World Heritage-listed Bungle Bungle Range.
The Wilderness Society has joined the foundation and another group, the Kimberley Toad Busters, in appealing to the federal and WA governments to try to prevent the spread of the pests to the Kimberley.
Since the toads invaded the NT Kakadu National Park almost 10 years ago, they have been advancing steadily across the territory.
Wilderness Society state coordinator Peter Robertson has said the disaster of Kakadu must not be repeated and that it would be a tragedy to allow the cane toads to invade the Bungle Bungles.
STTF director Russell Gueho said today his group of volunteers had made their huge haul of cane toads using a new weapon in the war against the pests.
Erecting 40cm-high temporary fences around the toads' waterhole habitats had allowed them to take advantage of the toads' reliance on water during the late northern dry season, Mr Gueho said.
"It's amazing to see the difference in efficiency from the normal hand collection and trapping methods,'' he said.
"By blocking off their water source, we are able to remove large numbers that get stopped by the fences with relatively small numbers of people.''
He said the fences, which could be erected by two people within a few hours, were designed with a gap that enabled small native animals to enter or leave the waterholes.
They were usually taken down after a week.
Mr Gueho said the group hoped the innovation would encourage the West Australian government and federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to act to prevent the spread of the toads.
"The WA Labor government pledged $12 million towards cane toad control and volunteers have so far got about $1 million of that,'' Mr Gueho said.
"We can't see whether the other $11 million is being spent.
"Mr Garrett said in October last year that a Labor government would fund the fight against the cane toad, but we haven't heard anything from him since then.''
Mr Gueho said the STTF hoped to hear from either the WA or federal governments before the great toad muster ended on October 18, about 80km from the WA-NT border.
Cane Toads
Thousands of cane toads killed near NT
ALMOST 50,000 cane toads have been destroyed within two weeks on a Northern Territory cattle station near the WA border, says a group fighting the pests.
WA-based Stop the Toad Foundation (STTF) said about 25 volunteers working for the group's third annual great toad muster had killed the huge haul of toads on Auvergne station, about 100km from the WA border.
Environmentalists say the cane toad "front'' is now just 40km from the border and threatening WA's World Heritage-listed Bungle Bungle Range.
The Wilderness Society has joined the foundation and another group, the Kimberley Toad Busters, in appealing to the federal and WA governments to try to prevent the spread of the pests to the Kimberley.
Since the toads invaded the NT Kakadu National Park almost 10 years ago, they have been advancing steadily across the territory.
Wilderness Society state coordinator Peter Robertson has said the disaster of Kakadu must not be repeated and that it would be a tragedy to allow the cane toads to invade the Bungle Bungles.
STTF director Russell Gueho said today his group of volunteers had made their huge haul of cane toads using a new weapon in the war against the pests.
Erecting 40cm-high temporary fences around the toads' waterhole habitats had allowed them to take advantage of the toads' reliance on water during the late northern dry season, Mr Gueho said.
"It's amazing to see the difference in efficiency from the normal hand collection and trapping methods,'' he said.
"By blocking off their water source, we are able to remove large numbers that get stopped by the fences with relatively small numbers of people.''
He said the fences, which could be erected by two people within a few hours, were designed with a gap that enabled small native animals to enter or leave the waterholes.
They were usually taken down after a week.
Mr Gueho said the group hoped the innovation would encourage the West Australian government and federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to act to prevent the spread of the toads.
"The WA Labor government pledged $12 million towards cane toad control and volunteers have so far got about $1 million of that,'' Mr Gueho said.
"We can't see whether the other $11 million is being spent.
"Mr Garrett said in October last year that a Labor government would fund the fight against the cane toad, but we haven't heard anything from him since then.''
Mr Gueho said the STTF hoped to hear from either the WA or federal governments before the great toad muster ended on October 18, about 80km from the WA-NT border.
