Hunter on cane toad alert after Waratah and Glendale finds

newy.com.au – Hunter residents are being urged to watch for cane toads after two were found in the Waratah area and another was removed from a Glendale property.

Lake Macquarie City Council said council and NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development biosecurity officers attended the Glendale site on Wednesday, March 4, and removed the toad. The council said the discovery came days after two cane toads were found in the Waratah area.

Authorities say cane toads can hitchhike long distances in freight, nursery supplies such as mulch and plants, building materials, and camping or caravanning gear travelling from Queensland or northern NSW. NSW DPI advice published by Landcare NSW says people receiving plants, stockfeed and other materials from cane-toad-infested areas should check pallets, plants and containers, and thoroughly inspect caravans, trailers and camping equipment.

NSW government guidance says about 98 per cent of NSW is cane toad free and a Cane Toad Biosecurity Zone applies across the state outside a small endemic area in the north-east. It says everyone in NSW has a biosecurity duty to help prevent the pests spreading from their current established range in north-east NSW to the Clarence River, and warns cane toads are a lethal threat to domestic pets and threatened species when ingested.

Residents who suspect they have found a cane toad are being told not to harm it because many suspected cane toads turn out to be native species. NSW guidance says people should take a photo, record the location, safely contain the animal in a well-ventilated container if possible, and report it through ToadScan, the online biosecurity form or the invasive plants and animals enquiry line on 1800 680 244. Cane toads have surfaced in the Hunter before, with a NSW DPI article published by Landcare NSW saying six were first found at Mandalong in September 2022 and 40 animals had been removed by the time of publication.