By JONATHON HOWARD
A TEWANTIN resident is making a desperate plea for help to eradicate a colony of cane toads developing in a freshwater pool at Alexandria Bay.
Thousands of the notorious introduced cane toads are in the final stages of development and they, like thousands before them, are likely to start hopping into the Noosa National Park any day now.
Zigrid Georges said action was needed to eradicate the cane toads and prevent future colonies from establishing.
“The tadpoles have developed legs and are moving onto land,” she said.
“Another week and Noosa National Park will become a feeding ground for thousands of new cane toads that have been allowed to infiltrate the area because of total inaction by personnel in charge of the Noosa National Park.”
Ms Georges said she and a group of friends had tried their best to remove thousands and thousands of cane toad spawn in the shallow pool during the past six months.
She now believes the only way to stem the constant spawning of toads is to drain the freshwater pool.
“A variety of people have alerted personnel at (QLD) Parks and Wildlife and last week I sent a letter to the Wildlife ranger and to others in the organisation, alerting them to the imminent cane-toad explosion,” she said.
Ms Georges said her calls for immediate assistance had gone unanswered prompting her to contact Noosa Today.
“Nothing has been done – it is now beyond individual persons, a concerted action to empty the pool seems like the only solution,” she said.
“I feel totally disheartened and do not know who else could help with averting this non-conservation tragedy happening on our doorstep.
“If this is published and someone out there knows a solution, please, please help – it has to be done this week.”
Noosa Today has raised Ms Georges’ concerns with Parks and Wildlife.
A spokesperson said the current focus was on controlling declared pests in protected estate, including foxes, pigs and cats. The cane toad was not a declared pest in Queensland, so there was no legal mandate for their control, or an available effective broad scale control.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you think the cane toad colony should be eradicated at A-Bay in order to spare Noosa National Park? Email your comments or letters to: newsdesk@noosatoday.net.au
