NEWS.COM.AU (Australia) 21 May 06 Monster toad caught in CBD
The biggest cane toad so far found in the Territory was caught near the Darwin CBD yesterday.
The monster female toad weighing 564 grams and measuring 16.8cm was found at Ludmilla.
Jenny Brooks found the toad in her front yard while gardening.
"I went out to plant some seedlings and it was right near the fence. I didn't know if it was a cane toad, I thought it may have been too big," she said.
FrogWatch NT removed it from the Brooks's yard.
"It's the biggest toad we are aware of," FrogWatch NT co-ordinator Graeme Sawyer said.
Mr Sawyer said he didn't know if the toad had hitched a ride or found its way there.
"It's hard to say how she got here although she's got the potential to walk here," he said.
Lance and Jenny Brooks said it was the first toad they had seen at their house.
Mr Sawyer said despite the toad's size and its closeness to Darwin, the Territory was winning the war on toads.
"By all intents and purposes they should have reached Darwin in their hundreds by now," he said.
Mr Sawyer said now was the time to start checking back yards for toads. The toad will not be turned in to fertiliser but will become FrogWatch NT's mascot.
"We'll take her on trips to shows and schools," he said.
Monster toad caught in CBD