SUNSHINE COAST DAILY (Maroochydore, Australia) 20 Feb 11 Cane toad cull upsets residents (Jessica Greinke)

They might be ugly and a threat to local wildlife but council plans for a mass cane toad killing next month haven’t pleased everyone.

The March 18 event dubbed the 10,000 Toads Project aims to wipe out 10,000 of the critters in what has been described as “a great night out for the family”.

It’s that tag and the involvement of children in the mass cane toad execution which has upset some people, including Maroochydore’s Jolene Ogle.

She said she was “absolutely stunned” when she read about the event.

Although she’s not a big fan of cane toads, Mrs Ogle said she believed part of the reason it was so widely accepted they had to be exterminated was because they were “ugly”.

“I think the approach to this cane toad culling is sending mixed messages to the kids,” she said.

“It is saying that it is all right to kill ugly animals, but not cuddly ones.”

Mrs Ogle said she understood cane toads were a pest and stressed she was not against the culling in principle, only the way it had been promoted as a family event.

“It is not appropriate to be encouraging kids to kill animals, even if they are cane toads,” she said.

“The council is even talking about people keeping a kill tally to record how many toads they kill.

“It is turning the culling into a sport, which is awful.”

The council is encouraging people to adopt humane methods of killing the toads, which include putting the toad in the fridge or dabbing it with clove bud oil to put it to sleep, before placing it in the freezer to kill it completely.

However, in a state where people purposely swerve to hit unsuspecting toads on the road and sometimes have been known to use the animals for golf practice, it appears unlikely all toads will be exterminated humanely on the night.

“I was shocked that the council spokesperson encouraged residents to kill toads on sight,” Mrs Ogle said.

“I don’t think people will be doing it humanely, especially in their back yards.

“I can assure you that my family will be enjoying less destructive and heartless activities on the night of the execution.”

Cane toad round-ups have been held at several Coast areas over the years but this is the first time a Coast-wide effort has been organised.

The idea is far from unique, with the northern NSW coastal town of Yamba set to hold its 13th annual toad hunt – an event organised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Last year 300 participants – most of them family groups – bagged 2500 toads and organisers were reported as saying they were confident of topping that when the event was held tonight.
Cane toad cull upsets residents

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