The technique was developed by researchers at the University of Queensland’s Institute of Molecular Bioscience between 2004 and 2012 by working out the smell that lures cane toad tadpoles back to eat their own eggs, the Brisbane Times reports.
The smell bait, which is made as a “toad smoothie” from its toxin, apparently smells like a dead toad (just no).
But unlike a dead toad, the Bufo Tabs as they are known are easy to transport and since 2016, they’ve been given out to a network of volunteers who put the tablets into traps in shallow water.
Lured by the scent of their undead, the tadpoles swim into the traps – and it works. Over summer, the project’s leader Professor Rob Capon estimates they have caught over one million tadpoles.
It’s a toad eat toad world
It’s still a drop in the ocean, however. Since they were introduced to Queensland in 1935 to eat cane beetles, the toads have swelled their ranks to 1.5 billion – that’s around 600 toads for every single Aussie.
Professor Capon says he needs $130,000 a year to employ a second research scientist to take the project to the next level and stop the toads becoming our amphibious overlords.
We think the Queensland Government should spring him the funds.
It’s got to be a better plan than One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s collect-a-toad campaign.
Fun fact: Unlike our other native wildlife, ibis can eat cane toads without being poisoned – because of course they can.
