Toad Media

MEDIA RELEASE

Saturday 28 October 2006

TOADS SHOULD NOT BE USED AS FOOTBALLS

Foundation refutes Dr Steve Thomas’ inaccurate claims

“We are disappointed at Dr Thomas’ inaccurate and misleading recent statements,” said Stop The Toad Foundation Chair, Robert Edel. “Before deciding to make one of the great environmental threats to this state into a political football, he should have checked his facts with us.”

“It seems opposition environment spokesman Steve Thomas is locking in behind one group
of toad fighters and attacking another, because it has State government support.

“It is a time to unite and fight, not divide and denigrate,” said Robert Edel.

“It should be irrelevant where the money comes from. We are a community group, with support from people like Luc Longley and Tim Winton, who are committed to helping WA.

“So far in the Great Toad Muster (currently underway in the Northern Territory) the Foundation has removed 45,000 toads from the highest-risk area. These are the front line toads of greatest immediate threat to WA.

“As far back as June the Foundation identified the need to shift the focus of the attack westward and Government rangers have followed. It was the Foundation that identified that hitting the toads hard on their front lines at the end of the Dry season was going to yield the best results.

Thomas claims that The Foundation is “getting ready to cut and run following their failure on the cane toad issue”.

“This is nonsense!” said Robert Edel. “The Foundation has had an unprecedented success in its on-ground operations against the toad and is in fact leading the way in effective on ground control works to stop the toad.

“And after the Great Toad Muster ends on October 31 the Foundation will still have staff who will conduct reconnaissance, check toad traps, promote awareness of the issue in Western Australia and around the country, raise funds and prepare for the Great Toad Muster 2007. The Foundation will be around for many years to come".

Graeme Sawyer (Regional Coordinator for the Foundation) said “Dr Thomas has completely misunderstood my comments. I work with The Stop The Toad Foundation, a not for profit, independent community organisation, to develop strategic cane toad control operations. The Foundation is working in precisely the right places.

"The Foundation's strategy is to eradicate the toads that are moving from the Northern Territory towards WA and that are closest to the WA border using multiple night ‘busts’. The best time to do that is at the end of the dry season when the toads are vulnerable because they are congregating around the few remaining waterholes in the region." Mr Sawyer.

"For some reason the Kimberley Toadbusters are currently operating well behind the front line. We’d like to see them catching toads on the front line, where it can make a difference in slowing the toad’s advance. It’s not how many toads you catch – it is when and where you catch them.

Robert Edel says “The Foundation has always encouraged everyone interested in the battle against the cane toad to pull together. It has offered support to all groups and individuals, including Kimberley Toadbusters, wanting to stop the toad, and will continue to do so.

“Dr Thomas should stop trying to divide the community and politicising this vitally important environmental issue. We should all be trying to achieve one goal – keeping WA cane toad free”.

For comment:

Robert Edel (STTF Chair): 0417 927 830

Graeme Sawyer (STTF Regional Coordinator): 0411 881 378

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Or contact Dennis Beros (STTF Campaign Manager): 0409 244 029