Conducting Control Sessions

Preparing for you session:

ToadTrack control sessions should be organised through Watergum, these sessions will be conducted once per month between November to February. If there are no other volunteers rostered for a particular month, we can organise a session to suit your schedule. If there are already volunteers signed up for that month we will let you know the proposed date and you are more than welcome to join in.

Cane toad control sessions should last around 2 hours. If you do not have toad busting equipment, Watergum may be able to facilitate the loaning of this equipment from our office in Burleigh Heads.

Necessary equipment:

• Mobile phone with data to access the survey form and FrogID app
• Tall bucket with lid for capturing and storing toads
• Torch with enough battery life to last the whole control session 
• Gloves
• Pick-up stick (optional)

Toad Busting:

Did you know cane toads can live for over 10 years in the wild? As they age and grow, cane toads become even more toxic, making them more dangerous to native wildlife and pets.

Removing adult cane toads by toad busting is a great way to have an immediate impact and reduce the threat of poisoning to native wildlife and pets. It’s important to handle and remove cane toads humanely. Cane toads aren’t active every night, so consistent efforts will be rewarded to reduce your local cane toad population.

1. Get ready to toad bust: Before you head out, make sure you can correctly identify a cane toad, this knowledge is covered in the next section of this induction, but we recommend brushing up before you head out. Then, gather the necessary equipment and head to the survey site.
2. Head out toad busting! Adult cane toads are active after dusk in warm, summer months, we recommend starting your control session 30 minutes after the sun has set. Shining a torch light into the toads’ eyes can stun them temporarily, making them easier to pick up. Once grabbed, place them in your bucket until the end of the session.
3. Count your catch: Once you’ve finished toad busting, count your cane toads and keep this tally to submit your data to our study’s database!

Humane Euthanasia of Cane Toads:

It’s important to use the most humane method of euthanasia available for you. Scientific understanding of humane euthanasia of toads has changed over the years and our behaviour must reflect that. Stepped hypothermia (or fridge/freezer) is current best practice to humanely euthanise cane toads, in line with research conducted by the University of Sydney and as recommended by RSPCA Guidelines. This method can be used for cane toads of every life stage, although cane toad eggs and tadpoles require water to survive.

How to euthanise a cane toad through stepped hypothermia:

1. Put the toad in a container with air holes, ensuring it can breathe but not escape.
2. Place in the fridge for 24 hours to cool the toad. This will put the cane toads in torpor, a natural amphibian state similar to hibernation, which switches off their pain receptors.
3. Transfer cane toads to the freezer for a further 24-48 hours to euthanise them through freezing. 

Studies show that Cane Toads remain toxic for some time after death, as the bufotoxin in their paratoid glands does not break down easily in some environments. This means it’s important to responsibly dispose of euthanised Cane Toads and not leave them in the environment, where they can still pose a threat to wildlife and pets.

Here are a few ways you can safely and responsibly dispose of euthanised Cane Toads:

• Compost: why not put your toads to good use in compost production! In a hot compost system, the toxin will break down quickly in, making Cane Toads similar to other meat scraps. Cane Toad toxin is not dangerous for worms and other insects which reside in your compost system. However, it is important to protect other animals from your decomposing toads.
• Household bin: Cane Toads can be put in your regular curbside bin for council collection. Different councils have different rules around what can be put in the bins, so check with your area whether it can go in your red or green bin. 
• Burial: Cane Toad toxin will also break down when buried. If this is an option for you, bury the toads at least 50cm deep to prevent animals from digging them up. 

If you are unable to humanely euthanise collected toads at your home, please make use of Watergum’s drop off stations. You can take live toads to these locations to be humanely euthanised. The Cane Toads dropped off at these points are collected by Watergum staff and used in the production of Watergum Cane Toad Tadpole Lures. These drop off points are run by generous volunteers, so please always call ahead!

I

f you will be storing live toads overnight before taking to one of our drop-off stations, please follow the below guidelines for the storage of toads: