A CANE toad has been discovered in North Tamworth and now the Local Land Service (LLS) has appealed to the community for help track down any more of the pests.
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LLS Invasive Species Team Leader Bec Gray said she was concerned where there's one, there could be more. She asked the community to show constant vigilance to stop the Queensland tourist making Tamworth home.
"I would prefer a heap of false sightings then potentially a positive cane toad getting away," she said.
"Anything you think looks a little bit odd, put it in a container with some airholes, take some photos of it and report it."
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Ms Gray said she thought Tamworth community would take the threat seriously, and hopes the discovery will bring biosecurity back into "focus".
The LLS also wants to chat with the "biosecurity warriors" who discovered the toad in North Tamworth and took it to the local vet.
"We want these kids to come forward if they can," she said.
"By no means are they in trouble, they've actually done the right thing.
"First of all we want to thank them but also get some more information about their finding."
The LLS need to track down every last one. Given the likelihood of continued good rain, one toad could quickly turn into many.
A single toad can lay between 8000 and 35,000 eggs in one go, she said.
"That potentially is really dangerous for us, so early detection is really what we want," she said.
The Queensland pests have already taken over the North Coast, with a population of toads living near Ballina.
The sunshine state's most infamous pest is a threat to native species and family pets, which can be poisoned while attacking or eating the toad.
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Tamworth is a bit cold for the sub-tropical toad at the moment, and she speculated it might have found a warm "micro-climate". LLS is not sure if the pest was brought in on a truck or caravan, or potentially in mulch or hay.
But the LLS is not recommending killing the pest, because they are easily mistaken for native frogs.
A cane toad was discovered in Moree last month, and there was a false sighting in Gunnedah recently. Two toads were discovered in Glen Innes in February.
The best time to look for the toad is around dusk, in damp areas or where there are bugs, such as around lights.
The cane toad was introduced into the sunshine state by a Queensland government in 1935, creating one of Australia's worst ever pest problems. They've been marching south ever since.
There are now about 200 million toads in Australia.