Toad Day Out is a
pest control
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest (organism), pest; such as any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the da ...
event which takes place in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia on the 29 March of each year. Its focus is to reduce the population of the invasive
cane toad
The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, Terrestrial animal, terrestrial true toad native to South America, South and mainland Central America, but which has been Introduced spe ...
. The toads are caught live and unharmed.
The day was originally advocated by politician
Shane Knuth.
[(29 March 2009)]
'War' on poisonous Australia toad
BBC News. Toads are captured and taken to be humanely destroyed. Prizes are awarded for children who find the heaviest toads, and schools which capture the most toads (by weight). Before they are destroyed, the toads are inspected, weighed and bagged. They are euthanized via exposure to
CO₂
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at normally-encountere ...
gas, ensuring a quick and painless death.
Most end up being turned into fertilizer, some are used for research, and a few have been stuffed by taxidermists.
The cane toad has been a pest since it was introduced to Australia in 1935
by farmers who hoped the toad would control the spread of the
cane beetle
''Dermolepida albohirtum'', the cane beetle, is a native Australian beetle and a pest of sugarcane. Adult beetles eat the leaves of sugarcane, but greater damage is done by their larvae hatching underground and eating the roots, which either ki ...
.
As of 2018, no national eradication program has been implemented due to a lack of resources and technology.
Toad Day Out has been held since 2009. The event was inspired by an episode of ''The Simpsons'' called "
Whacking Day".
See also
*
Conservation in Australia
Conservation in Australia is an issue of state and federal policy. Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, with a large portion of species endemic to Australia. Preserving this wealth of biodiversity is importan ...
*
Invasive species in Australia
Invasive species are a serious threat to endemic Australian species, and an ongoing cost to Australian agriculture. Numerous species arrived with European maritime exploration and colonisation of Australia and steadily since then. There is ...
*
Cane toads in Australia
The cane toad in Australia is regarded as an exemplary case of an invasive species. Australia's relative isolation prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation and the Industrial Revolution, both of which dramatically in ...
References
External links
Toad Day Out Townsville City Council.
Annual events in Australia
Pest control campaigns
Autumn in Australia
March
Animals in sport
Townsville
Nature conservation in Australia
Invasive species in Australia
Observances in Australia
Sports originating in Australia
Games and sports introduced in 2009
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