The New South Wales environment authority is worried that over-zealous toad-busters may be killing native frogs after mistaking them for young cane toads.
Cane toads are already well-established on the New South Wales north coast and one was also found in a western Sydney backyard this week.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service says the community needs to be vigilant in helping to stop further southerly incursions by the pest species.
But environment officer John Dengate says people should be sure they have got the right creature before doing anything drastic.
“A big toad is a pretty distinctive critter – it’s got those poison glands on its neck, it’s got bony ridges going from each eye down to its nose, and it’s got that really warty skin,” he said.
“But small ones can be quite a challenge and there are certainly some native frogs that look a bit like toads.
“It would be really awful if people despatched native animals thinking that they were cane toads.
“So if you see a cane toad we want people to basically capture it, have a look at our website or other information, and see if they think it is a cane toad.
“If you’re still not sure, ring us up or bring it into a national parks office.”
From ABC
