Sutherland Shire residents warned after cane toad spotted in Miranda, Sydney

Sydney residents have been put on alert after a cane toad was spotted in the city’s southern suburbs.

The invasive pest was spotted at Seymour Shaw Park in Miranda on February 22, sparking a community warning from Sutherland Shire Council.

Sutherland Shire Bushcare urged residents to “keep your eyes out” for toads across the shire.

Stream local 7NEWS free on 7plus

Council confirmed it captured the cane toad and is actively patrolling and monitoring the area.

“Since the cane toad was captured, there have been no further sightings in the area,” the council told 7NEWS.com.au.

Despite this, the community is asked to be aware and alert.

“Council requests the community remain vigilant and report any suspected cane toad sightings to council’s invasive species team promptly for investigation and collection,” council said.

“It is important not to harm a suspected cane toad, as other species, including endangered frogs and toads, can be mistaken for cane toads.”

Anyone attempting to capture a suspected cane toad is urged to wear gloves and glasses and use a bucket with airholes to cover the toad before contacting the council.

“Council relies on the community to report sightings of any invasive species to support immediate action that prevents the risk of outbreaks in the community,” council said.

Cane toads are considered a serious non-native invasive pest in NSW and can cause “devastating” impacts on communities, native wildlife and ecosystems, according to the Department of Primary Industries.

The toads poison animals which try to eat them and can easily spread to new areas, often “hitchhiking” in freight, green waste and loads of timber, as well as in luggage, equipment and vehicles travelling from cane toad-infested areas.

Infested areas include the Pacific Islands, Queensland, the Northern Territory and northeastern NSW.

The last time cane toads were discovered and captured in Sutherland Shire was in 2021 when three cane toads were found in Caringbah. Before that, the last sighting was in 2014.

To report a suspected cane toad sighting in the Sutherland Shire, email [email protected] or call council’s customer service on at 02 9710 0333 and request to speak to the invasive species team.

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Trusted Bulletin is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Leave a Comment