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Toad Busters fights ban on gassing pests

Posted December 31, 2009 08:22:00
Updated December 31, 2009 12:15:00

A group fighting to keep cane toads out of Western Australia's Kimberley says it is being stopped from using carbon dioxide to gas the pests because bureaucrats have told them it is too cruel.

Kimberley Toad Busters has labelled the Department of Environment and Conservation's (DEC) refusal to sanction the use of carbon dioxide to kill cane toads as "ridiculous".

Environment Minister Donna Farragher recently overrode her department and allowed the temporary use of carbon dioxide to euthanise the toads, but the DEC says it is inhumane and will not support it until further tests are done.

Now Toad Busters is stepping up its campaign to allow the permanent use of carbon dioxide, a method already used across the border in the Northern Territory.

Toad Busters spokeswoman Lee Scott-Virtue says if gassing is ruled out that only leaves freezing or blunt trauma to kill the toads.

"It's ridiculous to suggest the method of CO2 is inhumane. The toads may very well suffocate in the end in the bags, but they are unconscious," she said.

"The thing that worries me the most is that family groups are definitely not going to want to become involved if we have to bludgeon toads to death.

"I suspect that it will take a lot of the community energy out of the cane toad fight if this ridiculous edict goes ahead."

Meanwhile the group has secured more than $300,000 in government funding to support its fight against the toads.

Tags: environment, pests, australia, nt, wa, broome-6725

Comments (107)

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• ABC (Moderator):

  31 Dec 2009 8:34:11am

  Should Toad Busters be banned from gassing cane toads?

  Agree (1) Alert moderator

  • Terry:

    31 Dec 2009 8:53:01am

    If killing them is acceptable in the first place, then asphyxiation (which is what this "gassing" really is, depriving them of oxygen) seems only a small ethical distance to travel. It's quiet, clean and low-impact, which sounds appropriate for an activity that is undertaken by family groups. At least, it's better than smacking them around with a golf club.

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • Simon:

      31 Dec 2009 9:08:59am

      but not as good for you backswing

      Agree (4) Alert moderator

    • Echidna:

      31 Dec 2009 10:10:32am

      I know that cane toads are a pest. I know they are poisonous to pets and wildlife that try to eat them. I agree they need to be removed from our environment. I feel sad for them that they have to die - but I know that they do. But I'm not convinced that "family groups" should be involved. It's bad enough for adults to have to kill innocent creatures - do we have to de-sensitize our children to this too?

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

      • Sam:

        31 Dec 2009 10:21:45am

        You don't think teaching a child that killing something is the ending of a life is a way to teach them to respect life?

        Agree (0) Alert moderator

      • Echidna:

        31 Dec 2009 11:01:18am

        I think it depends on the child... There are some children who would take away the wrong message from this. Some children would rationalize (sadly) that: "if it's OK to kill a cane toad, it's OK to kill a cat, etc." and I don't think you can necessarily tell (no matter how well you know your child/ren) how their mind will process this sort of information. I have a fear that this sort of "family activity" can have a worse impact than violence on TV.

        Agree (1) Alert moderator

    • Em:

      31 Dec 2009 10:51:40am

      Much better than "blunt trauma" which often doesn't kill them, and leaves them in pain and dying for hours, sometimes days...

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

  • maxine:

    31 Dec 2009 9:22:32am

    I'm just re-reading " Feral Future" and yes, toads need to be held back from spreading as much as possible and Yes, gassing is probably the best way to do it. Noe it is a good time to do it.

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  • tonyh:

    31 Dec 2009 9:49:03am

    The toads kill a countless number of Australian wildlife every day any reasonably humane means available to remove them should be used

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

  • Earthboy:

    31 Dec 2009 10:24:33am

    Sure it's CO2 that's being referred to ?
    
    CO is the one they recommended for Mynah birds.

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • Ambiguous Acronym:

      31 Dec 2009 11:07:52am

      to me CO2 poisoning is putting them in a sealed plastic bag until the suffocate. I can understand that being labelled inhumane.
      CO, as I understand it, can replace the O2 in blood, so the body doesn't ever feel low on oxygen and there is no distress. I think that would be a more humane option.

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  • JohnC:

    31 Dec 2009 10:50:54am

    Only a bureaucrat would introduce such a ridiculous ban. However, there may be more politics at work here than meets the eye. It's no secret that the WA government awarded the KTBs well over a million dollars last year, on top of the huge amount of funding they've received from the Federal government, and subsequent accusations of mismanagement of those funds by a group which has been roundly criticised for failing to approach toad control in an effective manner are rife. I'm reading between the lines here.

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• Lily:

  31 Dec 2009 8:39:35am

  We live in Qld and the method we use (on a personal level) is to spray pine disinfectant on them. I've been told it breaks down the membrane on their poison glands and they poison themselves. It kills them reasonably quickly.
  The blunt trauma method (aka the golf club etc) is not reliable and frankly I am not putting toads in my freezer. This vermin needs to be stopped they are spreading so fast. Whilst I am not promoting cruelty I think we need to be realistic about efficient means for stopping them. I hope the West Australian EPA is balancing this decision against the impact of the spread of the toads.

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

  • Arthur:

    31 Dec 2009 9:04:41am

    The spike method is my favourite.
    
    Walk around the yard with a short broom handle and a long steel spike about the thickness of a pencil.
    
    You can stack up 30 - 40 and then put them all in the bin or into the neighbours yard in one go. They do not survive unlike the sometimes ineffective golf club.
    
    I would never use carbon dioxide though because that is inhumane.
    
    As a child we had fun with the metho and match method, but we have matured since then.

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • faholo:

      31 Dec 2009 9:46:58am

      Dont tell me your brothers also put the old tom thumb crackers down the meat ant nest to blow them up as pay back for the bites. Childhood memories....
      
      Back on track, if you look at the fact that the govt have not been unable to contain, eradicate this poisonous pest surely the governments can at least give us options when it comes to killing them.
      
      introduce a 10c per toad bounty and see how many are brought into be redeemed by children. Keep the kids out of mischief cull toad numbers win, win.

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • Em:

      31 Dec 2009 10:54:20am

      I was staying with someone in QLD a few years ago, and they "killed" one with a pitch fork. My younger brother and I were horrified to see it kicking and writhing on the fork the next morning. I don't think this "spike" method is foolproof or humane!

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Ken:

  31 Dec 2009 8:47:11am

  The world has gone mad.
  The people who made this decision should be named and brought to account

  Agree (3) Alert moderator

  • Shane:

    31 Dec 2009 8:51:42am

    Where do these people come from and how to they seem to have any power????
    Cane Toads are an introduced pest and must be removed. Now we have some 'do-gooder' protecting cane toads. I cant believe Im actually reading this. Next minute it will be a group protecting moskitos.

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • Arthur:

      31 Dec 2009 8:58:49am

      They won't protect the mosquitoes, but they might ban or restrict smacking.
      
      No smacking above the shoulder maybe.

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • kezza53:

      31 Dec 2009 9:16:25am

      Well thats a good idea! Lets start a group, get funding, make the headlines. While they are laughing at us the guys can be knocking off a heap of toads via carbon dioxide!! Diversion tactics!

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • angry ecologist:

      31 Dec 2009 10:04:42am

      cane toads are an introduced pest, but they won't be removed. they are here to stay.
      
      will the work of these mass murdering families make any difference to toad numbers? not likely. reducing competition by removing toads has actually been shown to increase survival of those that remain.
      
      but lets not overcomplicate things with a dose of reality. gather your family together and go and kill some toads, all in the name of environmentalism. and when all the toads are gone (lol) you can move on to cockatoos and kangaroos, just be sure to do it humanely.

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

      • noir-moi:

        31 Dec 2009 10:21:26am

        "removing toads has actually been shown to increase survival of those that remain"
        
        A citation here would lend credibility, "angry".
        
        Unreferenced statements like that have a tendency to reduce the potency of your assertion to mere rhetorical opinion.
        
        As an ecologist, you ought to be aware the hardest thing to do is alter the opinion of others. Sheer weight of (empirical) evidence is the surest way.

        Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Atomicnirvana:

  31 Dec 2009 8:48:49am

  Is it April 1? Has to be a joke....
  If it is for real, then the person responsible should be removed from their job for being incompetent. Stuff the ban. Get together people, keep using the gas and start standing up against this stupidity

  Agree (2) Alert moderator

• snakeinthegrass:

  31 Dec 2009 8:48:54am

  I'm sure govt agencies use carbon dioxide gas to kill chickens & other fowls when there is a mass cull.
  And in those circumstances its appears to be the most humane method available.

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Bob Tonnor:

  31 Dec 2009 8:49:15am

  Obviously any method is better than nothing, id suggest we beat the toads to death using Colin Barnett, that way we get rid of two noxious pests in one go!

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Paul:

  31 Dec 2009 8:51:35am

  Just do it!

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Ian Montgomery:

  31 Dec 2009 8:52:50am

  It does not seem to be a bad method of destroying them.
  It is certainly better than a hit over the head. We could use lethal injection but the cost would be prohibitive. Calitchivirus or mixo is much worse than and for that matter so is rat poison or fly spray.
  I guess these authorities are going to stop anglers from catching fish, unless they have a snap freezer, next!

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Coondron:

  31 Dec 2009 8:53:54am

  Having recently visited Cairns and seeing firsthand the sheer amount of Cane toads I was gob smacked. We can send man to the moon yet we can not eliminate a foreign pest such as the cane toad...
  
  I personally think that losing our native wildlife and depriving our future generations of the chance to see them is even more inhumane.
  
  Give everyone a golf club.
  

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  • Felix:

    31 Dec 2009 10:08:53am

    Eliminate a foregin pest? You do understand that we actually introduced them to Australia for a specific purpose?
    
    
    
    

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

    • Big Al:

      31 Dec 2009 10:45:39am

      The key word here is "introduced". Therefore they are not native, so they must be a foreign pest.

      Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Psymon:

  31 Dec 2009 8:54:27am

  I like to use a 7 Iron , always seems to sort them out

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

  • John:

    31 Dec 2009 10:57:42am

    I have never found golf clubs to be particularly effective - but there again I'm not a golfer! I developed a patent toad whacker, which was a length (about a metre) of heavy guage fencing wire set in an appropriate handle. The wire has sufficient flexibility to straighten out during the swing, and then to flatten out on hitting the ground. I have always found this method, correctly applied, to be instantly fatal to even the largest toad.

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

• rob :

  31 Dec 2009 8:54:35am

  Who gives a stuff if some fool thinks it is inhumane - they are verminous animals. Gassing would be the preferred option as they just go off to sleep.
  
  Some people need a kick up the backside for coming out with this crap.

  Agree (1) Alert moderator

• Reeper:

  31 Dec 2009 8:56:55am

  Perhaps all captured Cane Toads should be bagged and delivered to the appropriate desk in the Department of Environment and Conservation where a Cane Toad detention centre can be set up. Subject to background checks they can either be sent to Queensland or allowed into the general community? Conversely whoever made the decision not to allow gassing can remove their head from the dark place they have it and use common sense!

  Agree (6) Alert moderator

• chris:

  31 Dec 2009 8:57:25am

  Inhumane? Since when were toads human? This is yet another example of radical Darwinism. Darwin has convinced many people that we are merely animals descended from monkeys, so it follows that we are equal to not just them, but poisonous canetoads! Any unbiased Biologist these days will quietly tell you how fundamentally wrong Darwin was. We are not equal, but custodians of the environment, when there is a problem we need to act to protect the whole.

  Agree (1) Alert moderator

  • Ford:

    31 Dec 2009 9:09:53am

    Inhumane refers to the behaviour of the one committing the act, not the victim. It means the one committing the act is unmarked or unmoved by empathy and compassion. Indeed, this is an inhumane act...but there's no logical reason for us to be moved by empathy or compassion for an introduced feral pest, so an inhumane act is entirely ethically justified.
    I've never heard any biologist, unbiased or otherwise, contradicting the thrust of Darwinism. Could you perhaps provide some reliable references or source material to support your claim?
    You realise, of course, you can actually look at the fossil record and see evolution in action...right?

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    • Beg to differ:

      31 Dec 2009 9:41:24am

      No you can't see evolution "in action" via a fossil record. They are hypothetical links only since all DNA matter has been destroyed.
      
      On the other hand it has been observed in various guises in the laboratory through careful analysis of DNA/RNA.

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      • chris:

        31 Dec 2009 10:12:53am

        Right on the first point, wrong on the second. How has evolution been observed, i.e. one species becoming another? Please cite a single example, anywhere, at any time. It looks like I have to get more specific: Darwin was wrong about lots of things including: the warm little pond theory, the supposed simplicity of the cell
        and the amount of information it carried, his expectation of intermediate fossils, his failure to see the limits on species variation, his discounting of the cambrian explosion, his theories of homology, descent from apes and the tree of life. There is more, shall I go on?

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      • John:

        31 Dec 2009 11:04:51am

        Darwin was wrong, no doubt - in the details and in the mechanism of evolution. Neils Bohr's conception of the atom was also quite wrong; however both Darwin and Bohr made important advances in their field. In general concept they were both correct.
        
        In order to see evolution you need to study a life form which replicates very quickly, and which becomes influenced by some change in its environment. Golden staph has certainly evolved antibiotic resistance in response to changes in its environment - antibiotics!

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    • Rob:

      31 Dec 2009 9:47:40am

      Inhumane: lacking pity/compassion; unmoved by suffering of others; cruel; savage
      - this bureaucrat is obviously unmoved by the suffering of the insects they eat, the native frogs/skinks they displace, the animals and people they poison or the snakes, frogs and fish they transmit diseases to. A person clearly unable to demonstrate this level of judgement is unfit for this role.
      
      cruel: lacking kindness, compassion, mercy; wilfully/ unreasonably/ intentionally causing suffering/ pain
      - this bureaucrat is wilfully transferring the destruction method to individuals who have less capacity to access humane methods and are more likely to cause distress when the golf club/spike methods are employed. A person who is intentionally causing harm to native species that were not introduced. A person clearly exhibiting reckless lack of judgement is unfit for this role.
      
      Cruel to be kind: upset now for future gain
      - Time to issue a pink slip - this bureaucrat is obviously not suited to his present role...he will find something better - at a recovery home for cane toads injured by golf clubs/spikes.

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  • Greybeard:

    31 Dec 2009 10:09:25am

    "radical Darwinism"? Go away you silly man. I'm a biologist and am thoroughly familiar with the views of my fellows both personally and through reputable publications in the field. No one I know, and very few anywhere, has the slightest doubt that evolution is a fact. We may sometimes quibble over the fine details but that's how science advances.
    
    As students we were taught to "pith" toads by inserting a sharp probe at the base of the skull and twisting. If done correctly, death is virtually instantaneous - spine severed and brain destroyed. Gassing seems an acceptably low-pain & low-skill alternative though.

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• Cutter:

  31 Dec 2009 8:57:26am

  I think the decision makers should also ban cane toads from poisoning wildlife... Get real!

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

• Don:

  31 Dec 2009 8:57:56am

  Use the same treatment on the vaccuous moron who banned it!

  Agree (2) Alert moderator

  • Sam:

    31 Dec 2009 10:25:40am

    It's fine to disagree with a government or public service decision, but to advocate the killing of such people? Inhumane!

    Agree (0) Alert moderator

• phil:

  31 Dec 2009 9:00:12am

  Some of these people making these so called decisions should be more accountable to their constituents (i.e. us taxpayers). If they were they would not be making such idiot declarations as this.

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• Cafe:

  31 Dec 2009 9:01:10am

  We used to use carbon dioxide to "sacrifice" mice in the research lab. I was amazed at how fast and (seemingly) painless it was. When we used to live in Qld, the kids used to collect and then chuck them in our drink fridge's freezer. This used to kill them, slowly, and even though we were told it was painless, how would you like to put your delicate mucus membranes on a freezing cold piece of aluminium? Sorry, CO2 sounds better to me...

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• Solly:

  31 Dec 2009 9:02:00am

  It is absolutely madness to ban an efficient means of euthanasia unless the government can provide a similar means at a similar cost and effort. These volunteer groups provide a free but valuable public service. The WA Government should respect the efforts of these people and facilitate the easiest means necessary to achieve their goals.

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• realist:

  31 Dec 2009 9:03:30am

  Have these fools got a better method, some people should get out a bit and and see what reality is.

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  • real realist:

    31 Dec 2009 10:15:04am

    when one considers how ineffectual the method in question is, it is clearly not worthy of support.
    
    this problem of toads must be solved, at any cost! our wildlife is too precious to allow these do gooders stop us now.
    
    the best option, as always, is nuclear. a few, quick blasts up north, and hey presto, no more toads.
    
    stop wasting time people!!

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• Helene:

  31 Dec 2009 9:04:10am

  The WA government is disconnected from reality, it sounds like some bureaucratic feel good decision.
  
  Man handling each and every toad with blunt trauma, what a joke!
  
  How much more energy into capturing and destroying them do you need to put in? The Kimberley area and its native animals are under threat, in my opinion the means justify the ends. Whatever it takes!

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• bear_of_little_brain:

  31 Dec 2009 9:04:40am

  The RSPCA outlines the most humane killing method that is available to the general public at this link:
  
  http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-most-humane-way-to-kill-a-cane-toad_299.html
  
  This method calls for rendering the animal unconscious and then killing the animal.
  
  

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  • Beg to differ:

    31 Dec 2009 9:34:26am

    Carbon dioxide (or monoxide) quickly and painlessly renders the animal unconscious and in the process kills them. This complies with what the RSPCA suggests.

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  • ez:

    31 Dec 2009 9:39:53am

    In fact this is exactly what carbon dioxide does. It asphixiates them, rendering them unconscious, then kills them - painlessly, humanely and efficiently.

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• Sam:

  31 Dec 2009 9:06:50am

  Golf clubs and cricket bats are to be avoided. The last thing you want is some kid getting a splatter of cane toad poison in the face. Asphyxiation is a safer way to kill than using a blunt weapon and is more humane than spraying them with something that destroys their mucous membrane.
  
  The more people we have killing cane toads safely and humanely, the better. There is no "humane" way to kill an animal (unless you want to get Dr Philip Nitscke involved), only varying degrees of inhumanity. Let's choose one that's safe to humans and doesn't put the animal in an avoidable amount of pain.

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• Dogmatic:

  31 Dec 2009 9:07:45am

  
  This method of the using of carbon dioxide to kill these pests, is more humane than the types of weapons that are being used to on humans...... The Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation is completely ridiculous, these toads are a major environmental disaster

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• sigman:

  31 Dec 2009 9:08:48am

  How on earth do we let people like this have a voice in our country. Cane toads are a terrible destructive force in our country, they are killing our natives and spread like wildfire. My fellow Aussies - please use any method available to rid our country of this pest. Australian media, use your voice for good rather then voicing irrelevant ignorant opinions that waste peoples time and money.

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• Peter:

  31 Dec 2009 9:09:00am

  Even something as out of touch and so blindingly stupid as this decision is doesn't surprise me any more. Governments over many years have lost the plot and their own common sense and have allowed these "do gooders" to gain the authority they need to make decisions like this and we can be sure that it will continue to get worse.

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• Nobhead:

  31 Dec 2009 9:15:34am

  Bring out the golf clubs!!!!!!!

  Agree (0) Alert moderator

• meg:

  31 Dec 2009 9:18:29am

  I think the bright-sparks who introduced these toads without fully investigating their feeding habits as opposed to the flying insects they were meant to eradicate, should NOT be consulted on this matter now. Me thinks the mindset involved in the 'planned' introduction of this species, is the same that is citing inhumane killings - yet there is nothing good that has come from this bungle
  If the toads have to be culled, let us find the most dignified and pain-free method. It is worth noting the toads were a forced introduction-the species didn't lob in of its own free-will and as such are just as much innocents in this matter as the wild-life they are now killing. If convicted killers on death row are given a pain-free death, should these unwilling participants/visitors to our environment be afforded the same? Shouldn't the incompetants who caused this disaster in the first place, be held accountable and made pay for eradication. In any matter regarding nuisance animals(from barking dogs to pesky toads) there is always a HUMAN involved that is never made accountable.

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• prLAB:

  31 Dec 2009 9:19:18am

  Just because people work for the Dept. of Environment & Conservation doesn't mean they're right. I stress the word conservation. Cane toads certainly don't conserve anything. I say do what it takes to get rid of this pest and let Toad Busters get on with the job. At least they're doing something. I lived in Bundaberg years ago and the cane toad situation was frightening. Just wait until they get to Perth.

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• Bruce:

  31 Dec 2009 9:22:40am

  They can gas them but it won't make any difference, they are still going to get into WA and most likely already are. State Govs and Territories need to have a better plan to get rid of the cane toad. Volunteers aren't going to cut the mustard, they really should come up with a better plan than this.

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• john connor:

  31 Dec 2009 9:24:41am

  WOW!!
  
  This really the end of the "Can do" nation!
  
  I really think we will hang ourselfs with all this red tape, so new years resolution.....let us cut it up!

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• patrick :

  31 Dec 2009 9:25:53am

  ever heard of the word plague. i am from queensland where toads are in plague proportion and this guy thinks gassing them is inhumane. honestly i think thats not enough if you want to protect western australia from toads, arm everyone with golf clubs and let the swinging commence.

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• Angus:

  31 Dec 2009 9:28:19am

  We use to use shovels etc using repeated whacks,put them in bins then sprinkle with salt or spray with Dettol mix to kill Cane Toads..........now if I was one I'd prefer to be gassed than clubbed or acid burned to death!

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• Jill:

  31 Dec 2009 9:31:54am

  As a former West Australian and now Queenslander, I think the EPA should do some homework. Perhaps they could consider the means by which millions of male chickens die every year: I believe the options are CO2 or the mincer, into which they go live, to become fertiliser. I wouldn't do the latter to a snail, let alone a cane toad. Canetoads are revolting creatures to whom some stupid scientists offered an invitation. I withdraw it. Not in my freezer and not in my [old] state, sunshine.

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• Ressii:

  31 Dec 2009 9:33:39am

  A very simple way to deal with these toads, take them all to the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation, and let them kill them. With a back ground in Conservation and Land Management, its you bleeding hearts that have stuffed up this environment. We drop bombs on people and you hear no one complaining of this inhuman treatment to the bombing victims, but when it comes to Australias number 1 environmental problems, you pussy's at the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation, want to get your act together and stop being weak hearted.
  
  I live in Queensland, and if I come across the pests, I will use anything I can get my hand on to kill it. I have even run them over.

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• mstasse:

  31 Dec 2009 9:34:43am

  What a load of crock! I'm an environmentalist, green to the gills, and this is just unbelievable..... how much wildlife do these idiots not understand are killed by toads?
  
  People are killed far less humanely than this all the time.... what has the world come to? I'd be surprised if the toads had any idea of what was happening to them!

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• Nick:

  31 Dec 2009 9:34:54am

  It disgusts me that people think it is funny to suggest bludgeoning these animals with a golf club.
  Yes they are pests, but should be dealt with as humanely as possible. Encouraging wanton cruelty towards animals, any animal, is pathetic.

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  • Trevor:

    31 Dec 2009 9:47:38am

    Tell that to the WA Environment Department, who are advocating blunt trauma!

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  • Felix:

    31 Dec 2009 10:13:30am

    Agreed Nick. Just shows the bogan mentality is alive and well in the redneck areas of WA and Qld.

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• PercyDarwin:

  31 Dec 2009 9:34:57am

  I'm sure mu dog would prefer "gassing" than dying from the poison these things subject other animals to. Who are these idiots. Personally I think the Detol way works well.

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• Craig:

  31 Dec 2009 9:35:37am

  Maybe the other states should stop trying to steal our toads and leave them in QLD. After all, we are experts at sorting them out. A little bit of rain, a street light, family car and a good eye, get em every time.

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  • John:

    31 Dec 2009 11:10:52am

    Of course this is why Queenslandres ar ethe best drivers in the country - constant practice at hitting toads. When you can take them out more than seven times out of ten with your left wheel you have achieved a very high level of accuracy. And as a bonus you know where your car is on the road!

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• Gai Walker:

  31 Dec 2009 9:38:09am

  I was lucky enough to go out with the Toad Busters twice a little while ago.
  The animals are treated with as little harm as possible. Remember that there are also scientists in this group doing research.
  The process of euthenasing the toads is carried out by experienced team members when the toads have been counted and other statistics taken such as size and gender. This is all part of the research the team carry out while trying to sto the toads coming into WA. It is done with as little trauma to the animals as possible and is very quick - less than a minute to see all movement stop. Carting freezers to the bush or carting toads back to town would be logistically difficult and less humane than the quick process that is already carried out.
  Having lived in Queensland, I value highly the work of this group and hope that we never have to live with numbers of toads like I did then.
  The locals support this group and people I met up there regularly go out to catch toads. It is often a family event. I was very impressed by the young locals I met who were able to identify and teach me the names of local species of frog from the toads at their various stages of life. They also were able to tell me the names of other animals we came across. The team trains people on the way to the busting by explaining the life cycle of the toad, the species that have disappeared and threatened and the best way to catch them.
  They do a fantastic job and should be supported by us all. Thanks Toad Busters
  .
  I will be contacting the minister with my support for the Toad Busters and asking for an explanation. Why dont we all? Minister.Faragher@dpc.wa.gov.au

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• railcar22:

  31 Dec 2009 9:40:58am

  If you have ever been woken by a cane toad getting into your bedroom any method is Ok that creates the less mess. I agree to post them, unstamped, to the bureaucrat who suggested VO2 was not a good way. Do we have his address!

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• Cicero2:

  31 Dec 2009 9:43:49am

  Why not dump a whole lot of these pests alive in the office of the fool who made this rule !
  And lock the idiot in with them & gas the lot & then carry on 'business as usual'. The Kimberley is one of the most spectacular places on earth including its wildlife. It needs to be protected with the help of intelligent informed people, not fools & idiots who don't understand the magnitude of the problem.
  We do not have the time to have a 'Parliamentary Inquiry' to determine the best killing method for these pests. Thousands of them are run over by cars every year. Do they want to arrest these drivers for inhumane treatment of pests ?? WA Dept Envir't & Cons should be charged with 'failure of duty of care' to the snakes & crocs etc of the Kimberley !!

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• fred:

  31 Dec 2009 9:47:46am

  Which way would you like to die? being bashed by a golf club, until maybe semi unconscious and left to die painfully, or not getting enough oxygen in, going asleep before dying?
  
  The RSPCA site suggested above has this as one of the methods
  "Blunt cranial concussion and decapitation followed by double pithing"!
  ie bash the toad's head, then cut it off, then use a mounted needle or equivalent to go into the brain and squish it around. Surely they don't think a toad with out its head is going breed ?
  What's wrong with using car exhaust gas? Dying by carbon monoxide is a quite painless way to go, even better than carbon dioxide. And it's very easily available.

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• Trevor:

  31 Dec 2009 9:49:02am

  As a public servant myself, there aren't too many times that I look at a decision by a bureaucrat and think "that's ridiculous".
  
  But yes, this IS one of those times.

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• cheech:

  31 Dec 2009 9:49:20am

  In a Democracy no bureaucracy is supreme - will someone tell these psychotic controlling turkeys that we, the people, are their controllers, and not the other way around. When bureucrats make unpopular, anti-social or undemocratic decisions, then it is the moral duty of the people to defy them. Any reactionary defiance by these servants of the people must be met with force, and they should be summarily removed from their positions of self-assumed power - psychotics always rise to the top in any organisation, using social, environmental, or other platitudes to justify their controlling needs. I'm the Queen of Hearts and I say "Off with their heads . . ."

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• Shane:

  31 Dec 2009 9:51:40am

  It is high time we stopped using Mortein on roaches and flies. I'm sickened by the cruelty being used on God's creatures. All things bright and wonderful, all creatures great and small, all things slimy and poisonous the Lord God made ......

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• klaus:

  31 Dec 2009 9:52:15am

  Asphyxination do falls within the realms of torture. You don't kill fowl, pigs and any other meat source by asphyxiation as this is cruel. I think it applys to cane toads. I think the death has to be almost instant, and deprieving oxygen is a very slow way to die. Cane toads do needs to be controlled. However, we do need to find a humane way euthanise them.

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• MH:

  31 Dec 2009 9:52:19am

  This is the result of man's short term 'solution' to sugar cane beetles. Man is certainly not the superior, intelligent being he believes himself to be. This is just one example of how short term 'solutions' never work.

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• burna:

  31 Dec 2009 9:53:19am

  I broke my shovel handle whacking these things, but there's nothing more satisfying than running them over in your car. Pop!

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• Owen:

  31 Dec 2009 9:54:12am

  If gassing cane toads is unacceptable then what about bludgeoning joeys and decapitating them as roo shooters do??? Apparently they are acceptable forms of dispatching them.

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• Carl:

  31 Dec 2009 9:56:42am

  Gas them I say. Stop the pests, stop them from spreading.

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• Ian:

  31 Dec 2009 10:00:53am

  This is whats wrong with Australia to day TOOO MUCH BULL S..T

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• Vince:

  31 Dec 2009 10:07:37am

  Maybe they should build a nice little holiday resort for them. that would be nice. The slaughter houses have been using this method for years. I wonder why it is only cruel to an introduced (non native) useless piece of native destorying creature. so it is not cruel to slooooowly kill rock lobsters by throwing them in cold FRESH water and if theyre not dead then straight into a vat of boiling water. I could go on. These people are just trying to justify their jobs so they have an income surely they dont really believe in what they protest about.

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• Baldricks Mate:

  31 Dec 2009 10:08:21am

  In my huble experience its probably not a considered policy position of the Govt Department. More likely some wacko mid-level shiny pants with just enough power (& wanting more than his pay grade and talent) to say "oh, but we MUST abided by standards. This decision won't survive a review, hopefully neither will the Yes, Minister wannabe? Nah, that's possibly asking too much.

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• Infidel:

  31 Dec 2009 10:08:47am

  Do we need any more proof that we don't need the excessive bureaucracy that we are burdened with. They are at best incompetent and useless parasites forever busying themselves with dreaming up more and more regulations and restrictions which more often than not are useless if not dangerous!
  
  Their only reason for existence is to forever grow and perpetuate themselves like a cancerous growth until our society collapses under their weight just as it happened with the former communist Eastern Block countries. Our only chance for our survival is to exercise our own judgment and common sense when dealing with issues such as the dangerous cane toads and not be frustrated by the bureaucrats' interference.

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• Z:

  31 Dec 2009 10:14:05am

  May I suggest salt ? It gives a new meaning to "slippery little suckers" and does not add CO2 in the atmosphere.
  
  

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• EmJay:

  31 Dec 2009 10:15:19am

  Oh yes, we have done a BRILLIANT job so far of controlling cane toads by running them over, hitting them with golf clubs, spiking them, freezing them, gassing them, spraying them with disinfectant, etc.
  
  Firstly, I am utterly appalled by the idea that killing animals of any kind, pest or not, should be a "family group" activity. What kind of monsters are we?
  
  Secondly, removing the ability to gas the toads with CO2 doesn't mean you can't gas them - you just have to find a different gas. Gassing humans with CO2 is cruel because we are designed to detect rises in CO2 levels, not decreases in oxygen, so we struggle and gasp for breath when we get more CO2. If toads are the same, then this is definitely a cruelly prolonged death for them. Find a gas that displaces oxygen but doesn't cause this struggle for air and you will have found a much more humane way of dealing with them.
  
  Thirdly, check out the below link to a document from the ANU discussing techniques of euthanasia (defined as painless killing of an animal). Page 11 is most relevant and states that there are no recommended inhalants for euthanasia of amphibians.
  
  http://www.anu.edu.au/ro/ORI/Animal/AE_Humane_Euthanasia.pdf
  
  I think Toad Busters aims are laudable, but there are significant issues with the methods proposed and they need a rethink. No-one that I can see has said "let's give toads an open invitation to WA!", all that has been said is, let's be humane - let's not become monsters ourselves in pursuit of this goal. As I mentioned above, monstrous methods have not so far contained this pest.

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• Ron:

  31 Dec 2009 10:18:34am

  Kevin was able to subsidise roof bats, why not golf clubs or baseball bats?, depending on your swing. Perhaps the fool responsible for this decision could go live with these pests in Queensland for a while and see the real damage toads do to our wildlife. I'm sure he'd change his mind.

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• Jabiru:

  31 Dec 2009 10:19:02am

  We live in rural Darwin. We've watched species disappear before our eyes since the cane toads arrived a few short years ago -- no more phascogales, snakes, goannas, frog species are eroded......the list is tragic.
  Tragic also is the fate of cane toads who have been brought into the wrong habitat. They suffer slow agony while they are frozen. You have to be particularly skilled to kill them by hitting them or bashing -- they are hard to kill and you can check an animal later and find it didn't die. People maim them slowly for ''fun''. I'm not sure about dettol -- sounds awful but I know it's used widely.
  Gassing is not inhumane in comparison to the other methods and, since each cane toad has thousands of babies, it's best to kill many in one go and gassing does that also. Because cane toads are in the wrong habitat, they have to be removed and gassing is the best way we know until scientists find another way of limiting their reproduction.

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• redexile:

  31 Dec 2009 10:20:51am

  Just further proof that this particular pollie is in WAY over her head, weigh up the options Donna which is the greater evil in this case: Feral toads being gassed with CO2, or them running unchecked across WA and destroying native fauna and whole ecosystems as they go? Moron! The toad busters do a fantastic jobs with nick all funding, good on them, They all deserve a bloody medal.

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• Jamie:

  31 Dec 2009 10:24:19am

  I also agree CO2 gassing is relative humane.
  
  I am more concerned about the waste of money (and volunteers).
  
  $300,000 would be better spent in so many other ways, because a group of people are barely going to make a dint in millions of toads.
  The toads are here to stay and will be considered part of Aussie wildlife by our grandchildren.
  
  The whole intervention exercise is futile and just temporarily reduces numbers around town centres.
  
  Better to learn to accept them like we do snakes and spiders.
  

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  • Francois:

    31 Dec 2009 10:54:09am

    The kids around here call white people cane toads, fairly apt name.
    Our environment is being destroyed by 4 wheel drives,quads and motorbikes and climate change,,,,,,who gets gassewd for that ?

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• Toad lover:

  31 Dec 2009 10:47:43am

  This disgusts me, I'm a a toad lover at heart, for years my companion, "Mr Chubby," and I have sat for hours under the stars together and frolicked in the paddocks, with tassles on the handle bars and pink fish catching poles, we would ride tithe river to go fishing. I no longer can enjoy these freedoms we once had, as a bunch of rednecks want to kill him now. These are the same people that slaughter all feral animals for mere fun, to satisfy their lust for blood, when will the government wake up and realize that people are only trying to help out and latte sipping, tofu eaters like me the real people in need of CO2

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  • JohnC:

    31 Dec 2009 11:07:50am

    I agree that it's a waste of money because this group (KTB) has little idea about cane toad control. Simply targeting areas with lots of toads, catching as many as possible, and then telling everyone you've put so many millions of "volunteer dollars" into doing this (see their website) might look good on paper but has little to no pest management value. Cane toad control requires a bit more thought than that. The DEC knows this, and the KTB have been peeing in their pot for far too long. This gassing ban isn't the real story here.

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• John:

  31 Dec 2009 10:47:57am

  First Principle: the only good cane toad is a dead cane toad.
  Second Principle: how a cane toad becomes a dead cane toad is of no consequence.

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• Cicero2:

  31 Dec 2009 10:53:25am

  It's time now that the Comm'th gov't stepped in to do more to control this problem. We should all put more pressure on Mr Garret to start more of a national strategy to control the cane toad disaster.
  Email him & his department to get this started now ! 2010 Year of Cane Toad Eradication. This is a national problem after all & a very important urgent problem.
  Did anyone do any tests on cane toads to determine level of alleged pain from co2 gas ? And how did they measure it ?

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• brian:

  31 Dec 2009 10:53:48am

  is it ilegal to park the car wheel on top of them.

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• alan wilson:

  31 Dec 2009 10:55:13am

  Cane toads, like rabbits are pests and were brought into Australia as such years ago. The Rudd governments decisions cease to amaze and bureaucracy is out of control under his leadership. Being a Queenslander you'd think even he would realise the cane toads are a pest and should be exterminated by fair means or foul.

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• John:

  31 Dec 2009 11:01:22am

  If gassing is too cruel then I suppose harsh language is out of the question too - wouldn't want to offend any toad minority groups.
  
  DEC should give out free air rifles to all kids aged between 12 & 16 and offer a 20c bounty per toad. We'd all be asking "where are the toads" in short order.

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• Paladin:

  31 Dec 2009 11:01:30am

  If we want controlled culling, the obvious people not to ask about it are animal lovers.
  
  In Tasmania our dept, regales the driver for road kill, saying stupid things like, 'what will tourists think of us?'. Yet they cant see its their attitude that's the real seat of the problem. They will not allow culling of possums for example that are in plague proportions. Its why so many are killed on roads, which at times would be the worst way to die.
  
  We see this same stupid attitude adopted with cane toads. The best way to kill a possum is cage it and shoot it right between the eyes, but guns have been taken away.
  
  So here are some options,
  
  Feed it as a pet and breed more up?
  Throw the trap in a dam and drown it.
  Take it over twenty ks away so it doesnt come back, (giving someone else your problem and they bring theirs to you!) Obviously this is the depts preferred option!
  Belt it opver the head with an axe.
  Or do we put the cage in a plastic bag and fill it from a car exhaust? (hope that helps some of you to know the best way) Thyen give it to a cray fisherman to use in his pots as bait.
  

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• PeterC:

  31 Dec 2009 11:01:37am

  How utterly ridiculous! These things are vermin of the first degree, they destroy native wildlife, why show any pity on them? When I briefly lived in Queensland the do-gooders said you had to catch them, put them into a bag and freeze them in your fridge! Even more ridiculous! Just who are these public servants who dictate this nonsense, and how much does it cost to support people who produce this sort of drivel? And why do we lsiten to them?

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• peter :

  31 Dec 2009 11:08:19am

  If the DEC are so consernd about it, then toad busters should collect the toads up, then dump them in the backyards of the DEC staff and let them deal with it.

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• Bob:

  31 Dec 2009 11:08:22am

  I moved to Qld about 20yrs ago. Live on 2 acres between GC/Bris. When I first moved here I was disposing of about 30-40 cane toads a night. We hardly had any crickets,grasshoppers,native frogs and the bird life was scarce. Now I get 2-4 a night we have crickets, native frogs (about 6 species) the bird life thrives. I like to think that I am a nature lover and hate cruelty of any sort to animals,but when one species (introduced) is destroying so much of our NATIVE WILDLIFE not forgetting our ponds,dams, creeks & rivers we have to do something.Dont put it into the TOO HARD BASKET do your bit.

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