Watch out for hitchhiking cane toads

January/February 2021

Queensland's most infamous pest species hitched a ride to the Milton area over the Christmas period.

The discovery comes after another cane toad was found in Batemans Bay in March 2020.

We are very grateful that a member of the public found the suspect toad and took it to a vet clinic for identification.

If you do see a suspect cane toad and want to take it to your local vet for identification, please remember to wear protective gloves and eyewear when handling it as they can extrude and sometimes squirt poison from glands behind the head.

The animal should be collected and held in a closed, well-ventilated, non-toxic container, with some water. They advise not to immediately harm or kill the toad, which can be mistaken for harmless native frogs.

For those not comfortable with handling the toad, South East Local Land Services’ Biosecurity Coordinator, Kylie Challen recommends taking photos and reporting the sighting to DPI via their phone number, email or on-line form for reporting invasive species:

Phone: 1800 680 244

Email: invasive.species@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Online form: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/report-a-pest-or-disease