Toad Media

MEDIA RELEASE

15 March 2011

TOAD FREE ZONE SET TO BE BUILT AT ICONIC KIMBERLEY GORGE

As cane toads continue their march into The Kimberley, The Stop the Foundation (STTF) will be working with Monash University and El Questro Wilderness Park to protect its most iconic gorge; Emma gorge.

The aim is to keep Emma gorge cane toad free by erecting a fence at the mouth of the gorge. The fence will allow native animals to move freely through and over it, but block access to cane toads.

The 2km fence will take STTF volunteers three weeks to erect, starting at the end of April. The exercise has been made possible with significant funding coming from the private sector as well as dedicated STTF volunteers paying their own airfares to The Kimberley.

“When we began field operations in 2005, the aim was to try and keep toads out of W.A. Despite our best efforts and the removal of 200,000 cane toads from the WA/NT border area, toads are now 70kms into The Kimberley. Its time to adapt our strategy to keep toads out of certain defendable areas within WA,” said STTF Campaign Manager Kim Hands.

“We will be using cane toad proof fences that we have been trialing for the past three years. The results have been very positive- the fences are the most efficient manual control tool we have to date and have helped us to completely eradicate populations of toads.”

Recently released scientific evidence by the University of Sydney and Western Sydney states that cane toad fences are a viable control to this invasive pest and may be the key to stopping toads getting to The Pilbara region of WA.

El Questro is one of the most visited destinations in The Kimberley, with tens of thousands of tourists pouring in each year to explore this vast wilderness. They will be the first major tourist attraction in the region to undertake a serious on-ground exercise in an effort to exclude cane toads from in and around the area. In 2010 two Kununurra resorts installed toad proof fences around their pools which have kept cane toads at bay.

“STTF is very proud to be working with the El Questro Management team to combat the cane toad issue. El Questro is providing a lot of support for the project and should be praised for their forward thinking.”

The staff at El Questro will be maintaining and monitoring the fence as part of their on-going property management over the next three years.

STTF believe that there should be more Government support for the fencing strategy and fences should be erected at other selected sites in The Kimberley to ensure areas of high biodiversity are adequately protected.

For more information contact STTF’s Campaign Manager Kim Hands on [email protected] or 0400130397.

Fact file

• Toads were introduced into Australia in 1935 in an effort to control beetles eating the sugar cane.
• Toads produce toxins that are deadly to a range of endangered Australian wildlife including northern quolls, goannas, snakes and freshwater crocodiles. They also compete with native wildlife for habitat and food.
• The western frontline of toads is moving at least 40 km a year and toads are now well and truly into The Kimberley.
• Each female toad can lay 35000 eggs. The first rains indicate to the toads it is time to breed.
• TTF has held The Great Toad Muster for the past 5 years. A total of 200,000 toads have been removed with the help of hundreds of volunteers around Australia.
• STTF is a non-profit, non-government organization established in 2005. There is one staff member, who divides her time between Perth and Kununurra.

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