Kimberley Toad Buster's

Media Release
The aim of this website is to document the Kimberley Toad Busters fight to stop the cane toad crossing into Western Australia and to provide the Western Australian Community some understanding of the enormous efforts (and contributions) that can be made by unpaid volunteers!
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14/02/2011
Cane toads are well and truly on their way to Broome-Next stop Perth.
27/03/2011
‘Rambo like’ cane toads hit WA!
26/04/2011
‘Toads hit Rio'
08/05/2011
LAKE ARGYLE ‘TOADS’ IN SWIM CLASSIC?
14/08/2011
 “Cane Toads, TAP and where's the ‘green’ in Bob Brown?"
10/07/2011
Toads evolving response to human predation
 
The Cane Toad is a Key Threatening Process to the Australian Nation
Declared by the Federal Government 12 April 2005.


Cane toad volunteers fight back!

 

Kimberley Toadbusters volunteers have long known that the cane toad is one animal not to be underestimated. Its hardy nature, coupled with the undeniable fact that it fills a biological vacuum in Australia has seen its movement throughout our great North at an unprecedented rate.

Toads, long thought not to have the ability to climb, to hibernate, to swim well and to remain immersed in water for long periods of time have been shown to do just these things leaving open the question presented by Lee Scott-Virtue, KTB President and Founder “ Is the cane toad evolving at a rate far ahead of what science has deemed probable and do scientists appointed by the Federal government really understand the full impact of the cane toad and the work undertaken by community volunteers to mitigate this impact? If the recently released Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) by the Federal Government is anything to go by the answer is obvious!”


“I have lost track of the number of Urban myths debunked surrounding toads” Ben Scott-Virtue, field coordinator of KTB is quoted as saying, “My all-time favourite is the story of our crow learning to flip toads on their back before proceeding to peck out its belly.

I’d remind people crows are diurnal or active during daylight hours, and toads are nocturnal, in other words foraging about at night. When do you suppose these two would meet? Far more likely you are seeing scavenging off road kill.” He continued.

KTB have been recording cane toads breeding and well established in areas that defy any measures such as ‘fencing’. “The number of toads I’ve seen and photographed happily climbing up a cliff face, or deep in the bowels of the earth should lay to rest the idea that they are not proficient at these tasks.” Said John Cugley, Administrative coordinator for KTB and ex-president of the Australian Cavers Association.


 

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t there myself,” Macca, owner of ‘go-wild eco-canoeing and KTB volunteer was heard to have said. “Here I was with Liam Bartlet, Ben Scott-Virtue and the 60 minute team in the middle of Lake Argyle, some 20 nautical miles from the Eastern shore and low and behold we find a toad happily swimming along. It beggars belief just how long it must have been swimming for to get to that point!”

“With the toad still holding the record for being the most fertile animal found in the world, it takes no great leap of faith, nor any in depth understanding of biological evolution to realize that this animal will adapt to any of the climatic conditions found in Australia, it really is only a matter of time.” Dean Goodgame volunteer and Co- founder of Kimberley Toadbusters.

“With the toad’s impact on native biodiversity mitigated in and around Kununurra by an ever vigilant community it humbles belief that the Government, both at a State and Federal level should even think about reducing funding levels. This is the first time a community as a whole has been able to prove this, you’d think they would wake up and smell the roses!” Kate Millen, KTB team Leader and volunteer for Saint John ambulance.

Kimberley Toadbusters continues to provide educational awareness to aboriginal communities, schools, pastoral stations and Kimberley residents with the aim of invigorating a similar response to those undertaken by Kununurra’s community. Through KTB’s “What’s in your backyard” and “ Iconic species’ monitoring “ it is hoped that the Kimberley Community will be the first to really understand the colonization process and be better equipped to mitigate the toads influence.

Contact Ben Scott-Virtue, Field Coordinator or John Cugley, KTB
Administration Coordinator on 91682576 for further information or for high resolution photos

If everyone became a toad buster. The toads would be busted!