Cane toad ‘kill zone’ set up as Queensland pest spreads across NSW

THE lines have been drawn — a “kill zone” where cane toads must be put to death on sight is being created in NSW as authorities fight to eradicate the Queensland pest.

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THE order is clear — kill them on sight.

A “kill zone” where cane toads must be eliminated is being created as authorities step up the fight to eradicate the Queensland pest.

With the highly invasive species continuing to cross the border, the State government is drawing a boundary where residents will be obliged to alert authorities of any cane toads before having them killed.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the proposed biosecurity zone will include all council areas across the State, including Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle.

It will exclude Tweed, Byron, Lismore and Ballina, eastern parts of Richmond Valley, Kyogle and the Clarence Valley where cane toads have already been established.

NSW Department of Primary Industries Vertebrate Pests Technical Specialist Nathan Cutter said authorities would continue to work with landholders in the excluded area to remove cane toads.

Cane toads are considered as pests and a new plan in NSW to kill them on sight is being established.

The biosecurity zone was designed to encourage landholders to play an active role in stopping the spread of the pest, which crossed the border in holiday-maker caravans, trucks, landfill and imports, he said.

Contained in the Management of Cane Toads discussion paper, the new regulatory proposal means landholders are obliged to notify authorities before ensuring cane toad is killed.

“Even if it is a lone cane toad, if it is a female with fertilised egg, that can spell disaster,” Mr Cutter said.

“We have eradicated a population at Taren Point, but there are still occasionally incursions with reports of sightings along the East Coast, Sydney and the South Coast.

“They’ve been found in pot plants, gardening supplies and landfill, but mainly in isolated instances.”

The parts of NSW involved in the new scheme.

Mr Cutter said people were advised to send over a photo of the cane toad to authorities first for it to be positively identified, before taking it to a vet to be euthanased.

Introduced into Australia in 1935, cane toads have spread across Queensland into the Northern Territory, Western Australia and northern NSW.

Recent sightings include a cane toad in a bird bath at Quakers Hill in Sydney’s western suburbs, and breeding pairs in Port Macquarie.

Around 50 were found at Taren Point where the had established a colony at an industrial site.

While cane toads only live for about five years, females produce clutches of up to 8000 eggs each.

Cartoonist Warren Brown’s take on the cane toad ‘kill’ orders.

The State government has strict guidelines on how to kill a cane toad humanely, which involve stunning with a hammer before killing, using gas or a specialised toad spray.

Other options include taking it a vet for euthanasing.

Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said the discussion paper followed the introduction of biosecurity legislation to stamp out pests.

He invited the community to provide feedback on the proposed new requirements.

“Non-native animals, like cane toads, can do enormous damage to the NSW and broader Australian environments,” Mr Blair said.

“A key element of combating these threats is ensuring that everyone is playing a role — the government, communities and individuals must work together to ensure we protect our environment, and our agricultural sector.”

Submissions on the discussion papers close April 27.

* Follow Linda Silmalis on Twitter @LindaSilmalis

Originally published as Cane toad ‘kill zone’ set up as Queensland pest spreads across NSW