Cane Toad Challenge How to guide for Brisbane City Council s Community Conservation Partnership Programs

Transcription

1 Cane Toad Challenge How to guide for Brisbane City Council s Community Conservation Partnership Programs Thank you for being a part of the Community Conservation Partnership Programs (CCPP) University of Queensland (UQ) Cane Toad Challenge. This is a great opportunity to have a hands on approach to pest animal management. Overview: The UQ Cane toad Challenge (CTC) in an innovative approach to community engagement and citizen science with a dash of pest animal management. Brisbane City Council (BCC) is a proud Affiliate member of the Cane Toad Challenge. You, our Community Conservation Partners are the perfect avenue to trial this innovative approach. Basic biology snapshot Cane Toad (Bufo marinis) From: Southern Americas (southern USA to tropical South America) Life-span: 5-15 years. Breeding season: September to March (and then some depending on environmental conditions). Egg Laying capacity: The female toad can lay ,000 eggs per clutch and can lay up to two clutches a year. Life-cycle: Eggs hours Toadpoles three to 20 weeks, depending on conditions. Sexual maturity 1 year to 18 months. Impacts on the environment: Toads are toxic at all stages of their life cycle and predation upon Cane Toads can lead to the deaths of many native animals. Cane Toads also predate upon many native species smaller than themselves, as well as competing with them for food sources. Please continue reading for an outline of the BCC CTC process how to make and use a Cane Toad tadpole trap, how to record and report your results and how to get more baits to continue the good trapping works.

2 How to build a Cane Toad tadpole trap Tadpole traps (funnel traps) are typically constructed by attaching plastic funnels to opposite ends of a plastic box, with the small diameter end projecting into the box. This is a basic funnel trap. See below for inside view of trap. Please note that the lid will be in place when the trap is in use. Figure 1 Funnel trap: Funnel opening flush with side of the box Materials needed Plastic container with clip-on lid (approx. 40cm x 30cm works well) Two plastic funnels Waterproof glue / silicone sealant and corking gun Zip ties Shade cloth or hessian bag Power drill Hole saw and drill attachment

3 Trap assembly method 1. Using your power drill and hole saw gently cut a single hole in each of two opposite sides of the container. The hole should be smaller than the largest diameter of you funnel. Ensure the holes are located low enough in the box that they will be underwater when the trap is used. The holes should be offset i.e. not be directly opposite each other. Trim any burrs around the edge of the holes. The plastic containers can be brittle and may crack while drilling, so ensure you apply only gentle pressure or use a flat piece of wood directly under hole to provide support when drilling. 2. Check that the narrowest opening of the funnel is at least 1 cm wide, to allow tadpoles to easily swim through. If the funnel is too small adjust the opening by cutting a small amount off the narrow end. The opening should not be more than 2 cm wide. 3. Put a bead of the silicone or waterproof adhesive around the inner edge of the hole. Push the funnel through the hole so that the narrow end protrudes into the box. Using the silicone or waterproof adhesive, apply a bead around the outside join between the funnel and the container. It is important to ensure all joins are completely sealed, so be generous with the sealant and smooth it into the join to fill any gaps. Do the same for the second funnel and allow joins to dry according to the instructions on your sealant. It is important that the join between funnel and box be water tight, and that the box has no other holes or gaps that will allow leakage of the tadpole attractant. 4. When in use, the trap lid must be able to be secured to the box with zip ties or similar difficult to open items. To do this, put the lid on the box and drill a small hole through the side of the lid and the lip of the box, to allow a zip tie to be threaded through. Repeat this on the opposite side of the box. Be careful not to drill through the main container of the box as this will adversely affect the trap s performance. 5. Drill 4 to 6 other holes in the central part of the lid, to allow air to circulate in the trap reduce heat in the trap. 6. When in use, cable tie lid to main box, to ensure no tampering with or removal of bait.

4 How to use the tadpole trap How the trap works When a bait is added to a trap and submerged in water, it releases a scent trail of pheromones that is only attractive to Cane Toad tadpoles. This scent trail flows out of the trap through the funnels. Tadpoles sense the trail and move up the concentration gradient of scent towards the trap. The tadpoles will follow the scent to its strongest point and be funnelled into the trap. For the trap to work effectively it is vital that the funnels are the only holes in the trap through which the scent can escape into the water body. Once tadpoles are in the trap, the small exit hole and absence of a reason to exit (i.e. no reverse scent trail), mean they are unlikely to escape. Site selection Traps should be installed in still water bodies i.e. dams, ponds, waterholes, pools within your creek/waterbody. Check the location to ensure Cane Toad tadpoles are present and plentiful before using the trap. See the tadpole ID guide in this document to help identify cane toad tadpoles. Using the tadpole trap 1. Open the trap lid. Put on some disposable gloves, remove one bait from its container and place it inside the trap. 2. Place the lid on the box and attach the hessian or shade cloth over the top to protect captured tadpoles from heat stress. Secure the lid to the box to prevent tampering, using zip ties or other material that cannot be easily undone. 3. Choose an area of the waterbody that is safe to access, reasonably free from debris and vegetation, not too steep and where cane toad tadpoles are present. The shallow edge of the creek bank is the best location. 4. Gently submerge the box to a level where the small ends of the funnels are completely under water. Water will flow into the main trap through the funnels. Do not submerge the trap completely under water. A rock or other heavy object can be placed on top of the trap to hold it in place. 5. Leave the trap in place for at least 2 hours to a maximum of 24 hours. In public areas, please install the supplied cane toad signage. 6. Tadpoles can be removed from the trap in two ways Removal of bait and tadpoles insitu. If the trap is to be used again immediately in the same location, the trap can be left in the water and tadpoles can removed using a fish tank net, scooping them into a separate dry bucket or container. If using this method, be careful to avoid accidently killing or crushing any tadpoles in the trap. Dead cane toad tadpoles release an alarm chemical that may negate the attractant. Complete removal of trap. The contents of the trap can be drained into a dry bucket or container. Note that if you are removing the trap completely from the water, the water draining from the trap will carry the scent trail and contaminate the immediate area of the water body with the pheromone. Tadpoles will not be drawn to the trap again for at least 24 hours. 7. Drain any remaining water from the tadpoles, measure the volume of tadpoles (in millilitres) in a measuring jug and record the volume on the field data sheet. After measuring, add some water to the container to reduce stress on the tadpoles. 8. To euthanize tadpoles, follow the fridge/freezer method of humane euthanasia set out below. Frozen tadpoles can be bagged and disposed of in your rubbish bin. Please be aware that dead tadpoles are toxic, and if left in the environment may be scavenged and poison native predators.

5 How to deal with by-catch Although the bait is specific to attracting toad tadpoles, there is a chance that other species may swim into the box, either incidentally or out of curiosity. This can include native tadpoles, native fish, pest fish and other small animals. If you are not 100% sure whether the species you have captured is native or introduced, you must put it back into the water. Below is a guide to the appearance of Cane Toad tadpoles. Native frog tadpoles Colour Most native species are brown or have blotches, stripes, spots, seethrough bits or other markings on the body and tail; the tail fin is visible and usually has some kind of markings or spots Cane Toad 'toadpoles' Cane toad tadpoles are all black during the day. The tails have a thin, black tail muscle but their tailfins are clear and can be hard to see unless held up close. Size Native tadpoles can range in size, but if you see any tadpole longer than 35mm, it is a native frog. Cane toad tadpoles only grow to about 30mm total length before they metamorph (change into toads) Shape When viewed from overhead, the body of native tadpoles are oval, round or have an irregular shape. When viewed from overhead, the body of a cane toad tadpole appears almost diamond shaped. Habit Native tadpoles like to shelter under leaves and stay near the bottom of the waterway. They may sit in one spot for long periods and swim independently instead of schooling. Source: Cane toad tadpoles sit in full sun during hottest time of day and do not attempt to hide. They often flick tail quickly even when not swimming forward. They tend to swarm together in schools, especially along the edges of shallower water.

6 How to humanely euthanase cane toads and cane toad tadpoles Prior to attempting this, please be sure that the animal you have is a cane toad and not a native frog that looks similar. The supplied Be toadally sure brochure will help you differentiate cane toads from native frogs. If you aren t sure do not euthanase it. The fridge-to-freezer method is the preferred way to humanely euthanase any toads captured as a part of the Cane Toad Challenge. Following the steps below will ensure that toads and tadpoles experience minimal stress throughout the process. 1. Toads/tadpoles should be placed in appropriate containers (e.g. plastic takeaway containers) and clearly labelled. The container should have a layer of paper towel or similar in the bottom to prevent the toads/tadpoles directly contacting cold surfaces. 2. Place toads/tadpoles in the refrigerator and leave them there for a minimum of 12 hours (overnight) to ensure their body temperature reaches that of the fridge. 3. Remove toads/tadpoles from refrigerator and quickly check for any response. Examples include attempting to right themselves when upside down and limb movement. If there are no signs of consciousness, place in the freezer for hours to ensure they have completely frozen. 4. Once frozen, toads/tadpoles can be stored as long as required until collection or disposal can be organised. Frozen toads/tadpoles can be disposed of in the household rubbish on bin collection day. PLEASE DO NOT attempt any of the following: - Placing toads/tadpoles straight in freezer without first chilling them - Placing toads/tadpoles in direct contact with cold surfaces in fridge or freezer. - Hitting or use any forceful manner of euthanasia - Removing the toads/tadpoles prior to complete refrigeration or freezing - Any euthanasia method not on this sheet (e.g. sprays, Dettol, decapitation etc.) Failure to follow the recommended euthanasia method may result in cruelty to the toads and the possible removal of support for the program in your area. Bait storage, use and disposal Bufo Tab baits must be stored in sealed, dry container at less than 30 0 Celsius, away from direct sunlight. Bufo Tab baits are to be used solely for cane toad tadpole trapping and must not to be modified, repurposed, sold or distributed to others. Wear gloves when handling Bufo Tab baits and avoid skin contact. Bufo tab baits are only to be handled by responsible adults over the age of 18 years. See the Bufo Tab Safety Data Sheet in your information pack for more details.

7 Where to send your record sheets and how to get more baits We are interested in your results! We will be keeping a running tally of how many tadpoles our CCPP partners are collecting and where from. To do this we need your help! You have been supplied with field data record sheets please fill these in. You will record the trap address, your CCPP program and the volume of the tadpoles caught. Easy! It is a program requirement that field data record sheets be completed and returned before any new baits will be issued. Who to report and getting more baits. Baits and trap making supplies will be provided once you have been trained in the BCC CCPP Cane toad Challenge. To get more baits you must provide your completed field data record sheets. Results can be either telephoned in, or scanned and ed. For data reporting or to receive more baits, please contact your designated CCPP officer Wildlife Conservation partners (LfW) and Creek Catchment groups please contact Peter Hayes on peter.hayes@brisbane.qld.gov.au or telephone Habitat Brisbane please contact Catherine Cleary on catherine.cleary@brisbane.qld.gov.au or on telephone Thank you for being involved and happy toading!