Toad Media
ABC National Rural News
Cane toads moving into the Ord
Thursday, 21/10/2004
Farmers and researchers in the Ord River Irrigation Area could
see the arrival of cane toads within three years.
The newly formed National Cane Toad Taskforce is meeting today
in Darwin, looking at ways to manage the pest's spread across Australia.
Senior zoologist Dr Peter Mawson says the toad will spell bad news
for the Kimberley's native animals and farmland supplied by open
water channels.
"While the system's a closed system using PVC piping and proper
joins and that sort of thing, there shouldn't be any problem.
"Except where you get tadpoles that get into the main water
supply and then get flushed through the system, and you get them
blocking valves and gateways and those sorts of things.
"A lot of the crops that are grown are dependant on European
honey bees to pollinate the flowers, (and) cane toads are known
to sit outside the entrance to the hive and just eat all the bees
as they come and go."
The taskforce will present a report to the National Vertebrate
Pest Committee, which oversees feral animal management across Australia.
This is a transcript from the ABC National Rural News that is
broadcast daily to all states on ABC Regional Radio's Country Hour
and in the city on ABC News Radio.
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