Cane Toad Disposal Plan is the Cat's Whiskas....

[Ursa major]

Forget cricket bats, golf clubs or carbon dioxide, Australia has found a new weapon in its war on the cane toad: cat food.

University of Sydney researchers found that cat food left next to ponds in the Northern Territory attracted meat ants, which then attacked baby cane toads emerging from the water. The results were published in the British Ecological ­Society's Journal of Applied Ecology.

In 2008, researchers studied thousands of toads emerging from ponds lined with cat food and found that 98% were attacked by the ants within two minutes. Of those that escaped, 80% died within a day from ant-inflicted injuries.

(From Australia uses cat food in fight against cane toads | Environment | guardian.co.uk.)

[Rosemary]

That's great news Ursa! I do wish those people who introduced the Cane Toads in the first place had done more research on them. They are over into Western Australia now despite all of the volunteers who go hunting them every night!

*Rushes off to get lots of cat food*

[Culhwch]

The only negative about Queensland is the toads. Man, I hate those slimy buggers. Anything that gets rid of them is a good thing. As Rosie says, the fact that they were introduced... idiots.

I read not so long ago about crows and other birds in the Northern Territory having developed a method of killing and eating toads by flipping them over and eating their guts, avoiding the lethal poison glands in the throat. Clever little things. Seems everybody is helping out in the war!

[TheEndIsNigh]

Wait -

Head line news

Queensland made uninhabitable by Them man eating ants

[Dave]

Yes, it was only discovered in 2025 that feeding cat food to ants had made them grow to incredible sizes. Who could have known back in 2010 that this would be the result?

[Culhwch]

Hopefully, once they get to a good size, the crocs will take a liking to them and thin out their numbers.

[Justin_B]

An thus unleash the great Croc plague of 2031

[J-WO]

The Cane Toad Disposal Plan would be a great name for a band.

[Ursa major]

As Ian Hislop might ask: "Would that be some sort of beat combo?"

[Rosemary]

Originally Posted by Dave

Yes, it was only discovered in 2025 that feeding cat food to ants had made them grow to incredible sizes. Who could have known back in 2010 that this would be the result?

Now what do I do? Buy cat food or something to get rid of the ants?

[Dave]

Originally Posted by J-WO

The Cane Toad Disposal Plan would be a great name for a band.

Originally Posted by Ursa major

As Ian Hislop might ask: "Would that be some sort of beat combo?"

I see it more of a Progressive Rock concept album.

[J-WO]

Oh great; an album cover with a psychedelic toad sat atop a floating island made of cat food tins!

[pyan]

Or alternatively, an album cover with a psychedelic cat food tin sat atop a floating island made of toads...

[Ursa major]

But no vocals: they've all got something in their throats....

[TheEndIsNigh]

Tin pan alley cats ? Cool!