BY DAKOTA TAIT
The Hunter's being urged to be on the lookout for cane toads, after a colony was discovered under a sheet of tin at a property at Mandalong this week.
The Department of Primary Industries is now working with the property owner, councils, the University of Newcastle and other groups to assess the size of the infestation and the next steps.
17 cane toads have so far been collected in the surveillance operation.
Residents across Lake Macquarie and the wider Hunter are being urged to check their yards, especially in and under items such as wood piles, metal sheeting, and pots.
Biosecurity investigators are hopeful they will be able to stay on top of the infestation, with cane toads less likely to be active and breeding until the warmer summer weather.
It's unclear how the toads ended up in the Hunter, but the species has been detected in the Sutherland Shire, possibly hitching a ride on freight traffic from Queensland or Northern NSW.
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| Local Land Services staff member Laurie Mullen with one of the cane toads. |
