Ethics of killing toads

There is much debate about the best way to rid our communities of toads. In some towns there are large-scale toad musters, whilst other areas prefer exclusion fencing and auditing. There are many perspectives throughout society, in the media, the papers, and on the web. What must always be considered is the ethics we use to value toads and how this helps us to decide on removal or elimination. Ethics is our system of moral principles: simply, it is what, and how, we judge appropriate behaviours and actions in our culture and society.

We now know what scientists didn’t know in 1935: that cane toads would love Australia and spread over the country in an unprecedented fashion. It is not fair to blame the toad - it is just an animal that was plucked out of its home (and ecosystem) in Hawaii, and introduced to a foreign land to assist farmers.

Just because you think something may look ugly and have a bad reputation is no reason to treat it inhumanely and cause suffering. There has been some shocking and upsetting accounts of people using cricket bats and sticks, chemicals, salt, and the like to harm and kill toads. Ask yourself these questions:

• Could you hurt a cute green frog in the same manner? 
• If your friends think an animal is not very attractive, or is noisy and bothersome, do they have the right to harm it? Would you join in?
• When is it OK to kill an animal?
• Do you think that 'culling' - or legal mass killing - is a good solution to controlling pest animal populations?

The creators of this blog do not condone the killing of toadpoles or cane toads. We believe the most humane way to eliminate toads is to deal with them at egg stage. This is an extremely easy process, you just need to know what you are looking for, and be sure that the eggs are not those of an indigenous species. Some simple researching and keen observation will allow you to identify toad eggs, remove them from the water, and dispose by burying or composting them, or leaving them in the sun to dry out. Start your research by looking at our 'Identification' posts.