Nuke it from Orbit
The only way to be sure
A group of scientists has urged the Madagascan government to take up arms against the Asian common toad - a poisonous relative of the infamous cane toad which has gained a foothold on the Indian Ocean island. In a letter to Nature, Jonathan Kolby of Oz's James Cook University, together with 11 other researchers, warn that …
"THe Snakes are struggling, but apparently the Spiders are fighting back.
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2012/08/spiders-keep-cane-toad-numbers-in-check"
Thanks for the link. It gives me some hope that the slimy little f*ckers won't lay waste to the entire continent. Unlike the excellent, funny, but rather bleak doco "Cane Toads: The Invasion" which seemed to offer little hope.....
Looks like lots of australian species are discovering their love of poisonous toad (well, we're known for our fusion cuisine after all). I particularly liked this one:
"the Australian crow (Corvus orru), which has adapted by eating them from the underbelly to avoid the venom"
@NorthernCoder
Well, they're defenceless against the poison that they get a gob full of when they to eat them!
Australia never had toads before the Cane Toad was introduced so local animals never got a chance to evolve resistance (or learn avoidance) to toad poison, which is different to that of frogs. That's not for all animals of course and, while the Quoll has been hard done by, some other creatures (amongst the number, several snake species) are quite happily munch them down.
The interesting thing is that there is an evolution occurring - with those animals that eat, get sick, but don't die, learning not to try it again and other populations where resistance is being bred into the population by the simple fact that those who die from it don't survive to breed!
It's very interesting, but all-the-same I'd rather they never existed.
Once again, like with climate change, man thinks he can beat nature
the fact they can survive there and have found food means they will adapt, like most species do over time.
when the next mass extinction occurs you can bet Aussies survive as they know how to adapt
Why do we always hear about how the invaders are the all-powerful destroyers of all that is good. In the UK, we're always being told that some species or other (if you read certain newspapers, this applies to races as well) threatens the local species. Why is that? Why do locals always fall foul of invaders?
Why don't we hear about new species entering an ecological area and getting its ass served to it on a plate because the locals were too rock solid?
Someone needs to arm the Red Squirrels......
In the US, they have numerous invasive species that are causing problems (and not just south-o-border ones)...
chestnut blight
emerald ash borer
dutch elm disease
asian carp
large snakes in everglades
kudzu
blackbird
english sparrow
starling
zebra mussel
lost track of how many more
The correct portmanteau for this phenomena is "toadpocalypse" as any fule kno.
Gluing "pocalypse" onto any noun produces a mellifluous and poetic effect and conveys the correct amount of terror and the appropriate levels at which the speed limit may be contravened to escape whatever it is.
Adding "ocalypse" to a noun just makes it hard to say. By the time you've figured out how to say it rhythmically, the disaster has engulfed you, your family and whatever passes for civic infrastructure in your neck of the woods and before you know it you are shooting your neighbours and eating the dog for dinner. No-one wants that.
My experience suggests that there is not the infrastructure to combat threats like this. Firstly it requires education, ie what do they look like?, what's the problem?, how do I catch them?, what do I do when I catch one? Secondly I requires political will, and enormous resources.
These two are hard enough here in Oz, but having been to Madagascar I believe they have even less chance of solving the problem. When every day is a battle for survival - in some of the places we visited, one meal a day was the norm - then it's unlikely that a toad invasion will be high on your list of priorities.
Madagascar has another feature not seen in Oz, and that is the area covered by rice paddies - read water = good breeding grounds for toads.
@bsquared. Yes indeed, crows do turn the toads upside down and disembowel them. It is quite a sight to see!
If you really want to help Madagascar, go there and spend your money. It is a stunningly beautiful country, and the Malagasy people are very friendly - just don't take photos of police/army buildings or people.
Nobody likes to admit it, but no country really has the infrastructure to deal with non-Human invaders very well. Man, for all our technology and hyper aggressiveness, is fairly defenseless against just about anything smaller than a breadbox. Large and medium size things are manageable because you can explode them for fun and profit. Little things just get rattled around in otherwise apocalyptic explosions and they get their revenge by hitching a ride in your shirt collar and establishing forward operating facilities at your house.
It has been that way for since the Greeks were running around debt free. If you're stuck somewhere far from home just bring some critters along and before you know it you've got a little ecosystem of your own full of stuff from your native land. It's nearly impossible to stop once it has started, that's why it used to be encouraged, to remind future people's that (somebody) got here before you.
Based on the almost universal failure of most science and tech based invasive exotic management programs, bounty programs are my preferred option. It's great because you can get kids involved in eradicating undesirable life forms and prepare them for a future of space exploration.