AP Environmental Science

When I saw the heading of this article, I remember the movie that we watched right before Christmas Break. Right now there are about 200 million cane toads in Australia that have spread 1900 miles from northeast Queenslands to Darwin. Darwin is located in Australia’s tropical north. The cane toads were brought to Australia in 1935 in an attempt to control the cane beetle population.

The cane toads, whose skin is poisonous, have been killed by everything from golf clubs to air rifles. They are currently being caught in traps and plastic bags.

 picture from: http://en.wikipedia.org

Some peopl want the toads to be completely eliminated while some are not ready for them to leave. One lawmaker wanted a national attack on hte toads to be called for. However, this idea was withdrawn because of criticism by animal rights groups.

I don’t know what should be done about the cane toad issue in Australia. I guess that the government will have to take a closer look at what can be done to solve the issue. I am not sure whether the cane toads have done their job, but I do know that they have also decreased other populations. The people in Australia need to come to an agreement on what should be done that will satisfy all aspects.

Australia’s Military Asked to Battle Cane Toads  http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa012&articleID=FA93AC46951909A7575D591BC4D85CE6