h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Cane Toad - Australia's Amphibian Plague - A12583361
Author: Galaxy Babe - Scout/ACE/Sub-Ed - U128652

Here's one ugly brute...I'm still looking for a linkable .wav

Submitted 19 June

nice article GB

there are also volunteer groups that go out on toad collecting hunts, the toads are then humanely frozen, and then buried

Thank you Hel 2!
Wonderful, I'm *so* pleased to hear that (none of this is the toad's fault, they're just defending themselves after all)

Do you happen to know the name of this group, at all? or are there lots who just go on a toad-hunt?

So I was correct, burying them is the best way, after they've been frozen.

Thanks for the review!

most groups are unofficial, and are school, or scout/guide based, I only know of this due to a local magazine I read, and discarded last week, , so I can't give you any details....however the R.S.P.C.A, has come down hard lately on people going out and clubbing these awful beaties, seems it is cruel to thwack them to death, nevermind the awful destruction they cause.........

as an aside.......both my dogs are addicted to toads, we cannot let them out after dark without supervision.... as both will lick or 'mouth' toads till they get high........ then stagger indoors....foam at the mouth for a bit, and then sleep for 12 or more hours, it is not good for their hearts, and may cause damage in later life

I can't stand these rotten blighters, and any I see get popped into a plastic bag, and shoved in the freezer and then put out with the weekly rubbish

That's amazing Dogs that get high? Do you know of anyone else's dogs that do this?

School, or scout/guide based - they let children do this job? how do they pick them up? How do you pick them up? Are they hard to catch?

And I thought snail-hunting was a nasty job

with the dogs.small dogs can an do die from the poison, both our dogs are quite large.and we wash their mouths out as soon as we spot the foaming and staggering, our vet says it is quite common for large dogs to deliberately go out of their way to find toads.

as to the voulnteer groups and handling the toads...the people wear rubber gloves and the toads are put in plastic bags, and then into large plastic bins. The kids seem to enjoy running around with torches in the dark

Excellent, thank you so much (sounds exactly like me with my snail-hunting)

This is fascinating - especially the fact about the snakes and contemporary evolution. I hope they find an answer to this problem soon.

Could find just one minor error: They are armed with a powerful poison situated in two glands (sacs) behind their head ---> The cane toad is armed with a powerful poison situated in two glands (sacs) behind its head.

Nice work!

Thanks Natalie!

Nice

almost makes you want to go toad hunting, doesn't it?

I'm looking forward to updating this, druggie s shouldn't
probably tomorrow - hopefully, as Friday am at my son's school for his award ceremony and Saturday...Andrew's beins taken shopping for a treat Sunday there's a match...

Will do it tomorrow (today)

Updated

Thanks for the mention GB, good article, very well written

Thank YOU for the extra info!

I've referenced you incorrectly, Hel 2 - I'm going to correct the GuideML and you'll appear to disappearon this but you'll be in a section on the edited entry

Sorry but the image of those foaming dogs makes me
Nother

>>>but the image of those foaming dogs makes me<<<<

usually makes us laugh too, after we go, not again, at least they both like biting at water as it comes out of the hose, so cleaning their mouths out is easy,if somewhat wet, Rupert the bulldog goes nuts over water from the hose

"This is causing a devastating impact" - > This is having a devastating impact

I spotted this one the other day and didn't have time to comment, but I was pleased to see it still there -

"It is estimated there could be as many as a hundred million Cane Toads and officials in Western Australia have asked for the army's help to exterminate them"

If you don't read carefully it's easy to just read:

"It is estimated there could be as many as a hundred million Cane Toads and officials in Western Australia."

which is what I thought it said initially. I think this reads better:

It is estimated there could be as many as a hundred million Cane Toads; officials in Western Australia have asked for the army's help to exterminate them.

With regard the dog warning I think you need to make this more general, so rather than being about one dog, mention all dogs. For instance, small dogs and puppies, the sick or elderly are likely to die if they ingest the poison - Hel mentioned this. Larger dogs are likely to survive but I'd add that veterinary advice should be sought if an owner suspects their dog has been at a cane toad, once they've administered the immeditate first aid that you've already got. Apparently cat problems are rarer. There is some good advice here - http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Jan/12/il/il12a.html although it's not an Australian site, and this one - http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=105499&region=7 mentions the addiction of dogs!

I'd like to see some info about how quickly they breed - while I was looking for dog info I saw something that said that even the tadpoles are toxic and can affect other water life, I'm not sure if that's true?

I think you need to reword the section on snakes a bit, as it's very similar to the wording on the news article you've linked to, but I'd appreciate another opinion on that one.

Good entry, anyway.

Thanks, I've already mentioned the tadpoles are toxic, and the eggs (spawn)

I'll get on the other changes when I can find half-an-hour weekends are bad timing for me