Cane toads
Cane toads (Bufo marinus, Bufonidae) naturally occur in southern USA and the tropics of South America.
Cane toads were deliberately introduced into Australia in an unsuccessful attempt to control pest beetles of sugar cane. About 3,000 were first released near Cairns, northern Queensland, in July 1935.
Having no natural predators, cane toads have now spread and are currently distributed along Queensland's east coast, across the top end of Northern Territory and Western Australia and along the coast of New South Wales, as far south as Yamba and around Port Macquarie.
They are a major threat to native animals on the far north coast of New South Wales.
Working together with the community to control cane toads
Cane toads are highly toxic, presenting significant danger to pets, wildlife and agriculture and are spreading at an alarming rate across the Tweed. Council has partnered with experts Watergum to work together with the community to reduce their numbers.
Cane toad events are over for the season but keep an eye out for upcoming events starting in October 2024.
Community toad busting in the Tweed
If you're unable to make one of our events, you can find out how to do your own toad busting at home by watching the following video.
An informative video on how to rid your neighbourhood of the dreaded cane toad.
Cane toad drop-off points
As part of a collaboration between Tweed Shire Council and Watergum, a number of community cane toad drop-off points throughout the Tweed have been set up.
These points will serve as a place where members of the public can take cane toads they have captured to be stored and then used by Watergum to create tadpole lures. Live or frozen toads are both accepted.
Pottsville
Contact: Josie
Seabreeze Estate, Pottsville – contact Josie for address
Days and times: Every day from midday onwards, call/text to arrange prior to arrival.
Contact: 0410 613 655
Murwillumbah
Graham is a Murwillumbah community member, eager to help impact cane toads in the Tweed Shire. His drop off days are 7 days a week. Please text or call him first to get the address and to arrange dropping off toads: 0412 593 382
Uki
Brendan owns 'A Tinker's Cuss' on the main street of Uki, 1472 Kyogle Road, Uki.
His drop-off times are during business hours: 9 am – 4 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Please text or call before dropping off toads: 0488 299 971
It is important to note that cane toads treated with any type of chemicals cannot be accepted as Watergum will not be able to use them for producing tadpole lures. It also violates their humane euthanasia policy.
If you are interested in hosting a community drop-off point yourself, please get in contact with Watergum for more details on canetoads@watergum.org.
Why are cane toads a pest?
Cane toads are a pest because:
- there are no specific predators of cane toads in Australia
- the ability of cane toads to rapidly increase in number and expand into new areas and eat a large volume and variety of prey means they could displace many native species
- toads prey on native animals especially insects and other invertebrates
- toads out-compete native fauna such as small skinks and frogs for food
- cane toads are poisonous at all stages of their life cycle
- toads poison pets, humans, and native animals
- toads may carry diseases transmissible to native snakes, frogs and fishes.
Cane toad fact sheet(PDF, 760KB)
Identification
Cane toads can be identified as follows:
- skin colour varies between grey, yellowish, olive-brown or reddish brown
- skin on top is dry, rough and warty
- belly skin is pale with dark mottling
- bony ridges over the eyes that meet above the nose
- webbing between toes of hind feet, unwebbed front feet
- average size of adults is 9–15 cm
- toads sit upright and move with short hops
- toads have large swellings (parotoid glands) on the shoulder behind the eardrum.
See (and hear) the difference between some of our native frogs and cane toads
Handling toads and frogs
If handling cane toads, take care not to come in contact with the poison. Venom exudes from the parotoid glands above the shoulders and toads have been reported to spray venom a short distance. Always use rubber gloves.
Always take care when handling frogs.
What can you do?
If you would like to ‘toad proof’ your frog pond or farm dam, view the information sheet(PDF, 476KB)
Collect and dispose of toads humanely but be 100% sure before you kill a cane toad that it is not one of our native frog species. If a suspected toad is under 4 cm in length, please take it to Tweed Shire Council chambers or the NPWS office for identification.
Contact
Project Officer – Pest Animals, Wildlife Protection
Call 02 6670 2400
Email tsc@tweed.nsw.gov.au