Darwin Volunteers Catch 1,000+ Cane Toads in One Night

When 90 volunteers showed up to Darwin's George Brown Botanic Gardens on a rainy Tuesday night, they hoped to catch maybe 100 invasive cane toads. They found ten times that number.

The community toad bust pulled more than 1,000 cane toads from the gardens in just one evening. It was the first time in over a decade that the popular pest management event had been held at the city's only botanic gardens.

Cane toads pose a serious threat to Australia's native wildlife. The invasive species secrete a toxin from two glands that can be deadly to lizards, snakes, and family pets if ingested.

"We've got lots of native lizards and snakes, but also, a lot of the local community walk their dogs through the gardens, and toads can be fatal to all of those animals," said Ben Lui, the gardens' director. The site's year-round irrigation, ponds, and waterways create perfect breeding conditions for the pests.

The Mitchell family became local heroes of the night, catching 353 toads themselves. Joel Mitchell described the chaotic scene as buckets overflowed with captured toads, some weighing up to 300 grams.

"My kids had buckets, mine was about 15 kilos, it was full to the brim, and my wife Jen comes over carrying 10 cane toads and they're flying out," Mitchell said. "We just had handfuls of cane toads, it was all pretty hectic."

The Ripple Effect

The impact of these community busts extends far beyond one night. Mitchell noted that frilled-neck lizard populations at a local park had been "decimated" by cane toads, making regular removal efforts crucial for protecting native species.

For the Mitchell family, toad busting has become meaningful family time. Jenny Mitchell loves that her three teenagers care enough about nature to spend their evening hunting invasive species in the rain.

"It's really positive family time for us, it's a rare and unique opportunity to get outside and get in nature," she said. The event proves that environmental action doesn't have to feel like a chore when it brings people together.

The captured toads will be humanely euthanized in fridges and freezers before being sent to a local taxidermist. Garden staff were shocked by the numbers but thrilled with the turnout, and Mitchell hopes to see more events like this in Darwin's green spaces.

One rainy night, 90 neighbors, and 1,000 fewer threats to the wildlife they love.