Going Cane Toad Counting in the Botanical Gardens

I have been asked if I would like to attend a cane toad counting survey in my local Botanical garden, sounds a real hoot plus i could see the Rufous Owl that supposedly inhabits the afore mentioned place. Counting toads doesn't sound that scientifically meaningful but the cane toad is a terrible introduced pest because it competes with the local wildlife and is also incredible poisonous, when some of the local animals eat them as all toads are food for something they tend to kill the least resistant ones, like some of the snakes and some of the crocodiles, some birds here are tolerant fo the poison and will strip the toad of its skin first so as to eat the meat but miss the poison that is in some large glands on its neck, This has to be a first for me, some of the people who are also coming along will take the toad home in large plastic bags and put the toads into the freezer to kill them. making sure that you put them out for the trash collectors on the correct day or they tend to smell when thawing out apparently. So that is my Friday night out, chasing toads and not getting killed by the drunken Aboriginals that also inhabit the Gardens. There is a funny term used for vagrants up here and it is "Long-grasses" and even if these folks have to appear in court their address is "Long-grass", isn't that just bizarre