First, Murder Hornets. Now, Toxic Toads. What’s next 2020, Feral Ferrets?
2020 is trying to get us from every angle! First it was from the skies with Murder Hornets, now it’s from the ground with Toxic Toads!
The cane toad is a toxic and potentially deadly toad…to your pets.
The toads are covered in warts, grow up to six inches long, and have large glands on their shoulders, right behind their eyes.
Those glands are filled with a milky-white toxin.
The toxin is harmless to humans, however they can be deadly to a curious dog that attempts to lick or bite the toad.
And now with all the rain in SWFL, the cane toad population is exploding!
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According to NBC 2 News, “local exterminators are offering services specializing in cane toad removal, but recognizing the difference between an invasive cane toad and a native southern toad isn’t as easy as it looks.
Experts said there are a few ways to tell the difference between the two, but the most obvious is size. Cane toads tend to be larger than southern toads, but their poison glands are also smaller.
For the average homeowner, it’s tough to tell the difference between a native toad and their invasive cousin. That’s where exterminators come in. Professionals, like those from Antimidators have recently gotten a lot of calls to clear out the toxic toads — and the numbers they are catching are staggering.
“Last week, for example, we did two hunts and we caught over 200 on each of the hunts,” said Chris Bowland, an Antimidators toad hunter.
Not only that, the toads can multiply fast.
“If we can catch pregnant females, even better because they can lay up to 30,000 eggs at a time. So every time we take one of those out of the equation that’s 30,000 eggs that are not going into a pond,” Bowland added.
Lately, those ponds are infested. That’s why exterminators are now working nights to keep the numbers down — because they just might save a life.
“We started doing this a few years ago. It began when we had a call from a residents in one of the communities we take care of. They lost their dog. It got into contact with one of the toads,” he said.
(SOURCE: NBC 2 News)