Cane Toad Bustin' in Queensland helps clear croaky pest

Why not try your hand at being a cane toad buster?

OK - not quite the same ring to it but our grey nomads could try their hand at it.

In Queensland, the City of Logan is recruiting citizen scientists to don rubber gloves and help tackle cane toad numbers.

More than 14,500 of the poisonous pests were removed from the city last summer, saving about 170 million offspring from the environment.

Logan City Council is supporting three free Cane Toad Bustin' events over coming weeks to provide a safer environment for native frogs and other wildlife.

Participants can do their bit to further target toad numbers.

Recruits will learn how to identify cane toads and remove them. The toads are then humanely euthanised.

Chemical pheromones taken from dead toads are used to make lures to trap toad tadpoles in local waterways.

Cane toads were introduced in 1935 to combat the cane beetle. Their numbers exploded from the initial 102 brought in to an estimated 2 billion.

Meanwhile, down in NSW, holidaymakers hitting the road are being reminded to keep an eye out for exotic pests that may be hitching a ride.

NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said everyone can play their part in maintaining the state's biosecurity while enjoying their break.

"Hitchhiking with an unsuspecting motorist is one of the most common ways cane toads and other pests make their way into NSW. Authorities suspect a male toad found in Tathra in December likely came in on an interstate vehicle, so remember to check your load for a toad before you return," he said.

The Department of Primary Industries responded to several reports of introduced species in 2022, including a four-metre-long Burmese python, a venomous Gila monster (lizard), an iguana, corn snakes and an African spurred tortoise, many of which were illegally kept at properties in Sydney.

So. Who you gonna call? Cane toad busters of course.

Grey nomads are also urged to keep their eyes for any other species while they are cruising along our roads.

Mr Saunders said biosecurity threats don't take a break.

"The illegal wildlife trade can be just as devastating to the animal that has been poached as it is to the new environment it has been introduced to," Mr Saunders said.

"Animals should never be forced to go where they don't belong, and if they escape from someone's garage or backyard, it will create a much bigger problem."

NSW Department of Primary Industries' social media campaign called Protect What We Love helps raise awareness about these types of pests and reminds people to report cases of exotic animals being kept illegally.

All sightings of these animals should be reported to NSW Department of Primary Industries on 1800-680-244 or take a photograph and fill out the unusual animal form at forms.bfs.dpi.nsw.gov.au