Efforts to protect wildlife from toads

Balcatta Veterinary Hospital, Diagnostic Veterinary Imaging, Perth Veterinary Anaesthesia and Perth Veterinary Specialists are together supporting the efforts of Stop The Toad Foundation in combating the introduced toad.

Balcatta Veterinary Hospital’s Ramesh Sivacolundhu said Australia was slowly losing the battle to protect native wildlife against introduced species.

‘We have lost thousands of native goannas, snakes, quolls and freshwater crocodiles to the toads,’ Dr Sivacolundhu said.

Cane toads have spread across vast regions of northern Australia since they were released into Queensland in 1935, reaching the WA border in February 2009 and are now 350km into the Kimberley. Mr Sivacolundhu said it may be years before the toad could reach Perth in significant numbers, but people should not be ignorant of the risk they pose.

Foundation chairwoman Kim Hands said toads at the invasion front are becoming bigger, faster and more voracious with time.

‘Climate change is set to facilitate their southward invasion, potentially to Perth in the long term; Project Kimberley has been completely funded by philanthropists who want to help protect the area,’ she said.