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Government Official Declares War on Toads
April 03, 2008 3:30 PM
It’s not often that a government official calls upon a nation to go on a killing spree. But Australian Minister of parliament Shane Knuth was so fed up with the country’s cane toad problem, he plans to propose a national toad killing day.
Although the campaign sounds like a call to arms, the event will most likely resemble a collective Easter egg hunt rather than a deer hunt. Knuth, who admitted to taking out his angst by pelting the critters with golf clubs, recommended that the toads be shoved into plastic bags and tossed in the freezer -- a method he felt was more “humane.”
As drastic as the idea might seem, the dire situation down under is indicative of how the introduction of foriegn species can wreck havoc on delicate eco-systems. The amphibians were brought in to help control a beetle infestation but soon overtook the bugs as most-hated pests. The toxic toad kills crocodiles, birds, and apparently annoys politicians.
Even if Knuth is gets his way, Australians might have a smelly fridge problem on their hands.
--Tuan Nguyen
April 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (4)
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They have crocodiles in Australia not alligators.
Posted by: Handsome Todd | Apr 3, 2008 4:13:19 PM
Haha. Yea, I think they fixed that. I have no qualms in eradicating evasive species. But, if said species is endangered where they are indiginous, then instead of killing them, systematically release them where they'd be found. Not too much though, you may overload the system.
Posted by: Lawrence | Apr 4, 2008 8:47:51 AM
Could it be? Is it really time to play "Toad Baseball"? This could actually be fun and inspire a new generation serial killers at the same time! Kill 'em all! *eyeroll*
Posted by: Dave | Apr 4, 2008 11:18:16 AM
A little History for a Congressman named Jerome Waldie from California. You will find that he too went after a Toad as well. There is a book about it. It lasted a very long time and adversity made it that much more comical. 1970-1990 ??? I wish I remembered the title.
Posted by: washbasin | Apr 5, 2008 11:16:34 AM
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