SUNSHINE COAST DAILY (Maroochydore, Australia) 18 March 11 Cane toad hunt is on tonight (Alexia Purcell)

Michele Sternberg and her family are going on a toad hunt.

After wining and dining with some friends at a barbecue at their Wurtulla home, Michele has convinced her friends and their kids to take to the backyard with a shovel.

Ms Sternberg said they used to have green tree frogs but now all they have are several families of toads.

“I absolutely hate toads. We used to have 15 green tree frogs around the house and now we only have one because toads have taken over. We went toad hunting last weekend and killed five. We just hit them with a shovel and put them in the bin."

While not everyone is embarking on a toad culling mission, other Sunshine Coast residents are still doing their bit.

Buderim local Beau Deeley said he and his girlfriend Kat Hagenbach always try to run toads over while driving in their car and it is very likely they'll be out on the roads on Friday night.

"We try and hit as many toads as we can because we see them as a pest and we know that they need to be eradicated from our ecosystems."

A council initiative, the 10,000 Toads Project aims to eradicate some of the toads inhibiting the Sunshine Coast after the recent wet weather resulted in a bumper breeding season for the pests.

Reminiscent of The Simpson's "whacking day" episode, RSPCA Queensland are urging participants to destroy of the pests humanely.

RSPCA Queensland's media and community relations manager was recently quoted saying "we understand the need for the culling of cane toads" but they are concerned about people using inhumane killing methods.

"We do have problems with people going out to hit them with golf clubs and the like. It's inhumane and doesn't teach people the right message about how to treat any animals.

"Obviously we're not idiots - we understand a lot people will be highly reluctant to fill their fridges and freezers with dying cane toads, but at the moment that is the only humane way that we can recommend," Mr Beatty said.

Freezing toads is just one of the killing methods recommended by the RSPCA.

Other methods include physical procedures to ensure the cane toads are dead in accordance with guidelines set by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Humane Pest Animal Control: Methods of Euthanasia.
Cane toad hunt is on tonight

[ Show Entire Thread ]