Live wild cane toad found in Sydney !

A cane toad has been captured in Sydney, sparking fears the destructive pest is making its way around the state.

A woman was out walking her dog along Waratah Pde, Narraweena, on Sydney's Northern Beaches when she spotted the cane toad.

The resident captured the invasive species in a plastic container before alerting the NSW Primary Industries Department.

Invasive species officer Ian Turnbull was sent out to the area to investigate the worrying find.

Mr Turnbull concluded that it was likely that the cane toad was a 'stowaway' unknowingly riding on a car.

He said it was lucky that the toad was male because the female species can carry up to 30,000 eggs at any one time.

'It was important that we identified whether it was a male or female, because a pregnant female can deposit a clutch of up to 30,000 eggs at one time,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'Thankfully it was a male, but we still have to work out if it may have had a mate that it can breed with.'

Mr Turnbull said up to 10 cane toads are captured in the Greater Sydney area each year.

They have been found in Castle Cove, Eastwood, Hornsby, Caringbah, Rosehill Racecourse and Coogee.

Cane toads spread across Australia after they were deliberately brought from Hawaii to Queensland in the 1930s to control scarab beetles that were pests of sugar cane.

They are capable of poisoning predators that try to eat them and they continue to spread across Australia.

In recent years they have been spreading south and west across the country, threatening local wildlife.

The public is asked to report any suspected cane toads rather than kill them in case the specimen is a native frog.

What are cane toads and why are they a problem?
Cane toads are large heavily-built amphibians with dry warty skin. They have a bony head and over their eyes are bony ridges that meet above the nose.

They sit upright and move in short rapid hops. They may be grey, yellowish, olive-brown or reddish-brown.

Cane toads were deliberately introduced from Hawaii to Australia in 1935 to control scarab beetles that were pests of sugar cane.

Since then, the range of cane toads has expanded through Australia's northern landscape and they are now moving westward at an estimated 40 to 60 km per year.

In February 2009, cane toads crossed the Western Australian border with the Northern Territory (over 2000 km from the site they were released 74 years before).

To the south, cane toads were introduced to Byron Bay in 1965 and then spread to Yamba and Port Macquarie on the north coast of NSW in 2003.

Cane toads are considered a pest in Australia because they:

Cane toads can be accidentally transported to new locations, for example in pot plants or loads of timber.

A suspected cane toad should be immediately reported to NSW DPI Biosecurity through its helpline on 1800 680 244 or by completing the online form or emailing a photo of the pest's face and details to [email protected].

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