There's more than one way to kill a cane toad, but not all of them come with the tick approval from animal welfare bodies.
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With a breeding population of the amphibious menace found in the Sutherland Shire, northern Illawarra is bracing for advance parties of the toad army to start showing up in the bush and along creeks. So it's worth taking a moment to get up to speed on the best way to send off the creatures - because the advice has changed in recent years.
Haemorrhoid cream is no longer the recommended method for killing cane toads humanely, according to the most recent advice from the RSPCA. And the freezer is out.
It may come as a surprise that haemorrhoid cream was ever up there at the top of the list, but as the toads marched west across the Northern Territory in 2007, that was exactly the advice from that jurisdiction's RSPCA.
This method did not ever gain popularity, so it is perhaps welcome news that its place has been taken by a purpose-built aerosol spray called HopStop, available from a Canberra-based company.
Stunning the toad by freezing was once recognised as humane, but the RSPCA now recommends the stunning be done with a hammer, concussing the animal so it can then be swiftly decapitated.
"This method is only suitable for use by confident and skilled operators with the correct equipment and technique," the RSPCA advises.
One thing is for sure: once cane toads get a hold on a habitat, they are prolific breeders, and can cause several species of native animals to die out or be driven away.
Your correspondent has dispatched many a toad during his time in the Top End, and can advise Mercury readers that it is an enterprise that comes with twin pitfalls: actually making sure they are dead, and doing it humanely.
The toad's armour on its back allows it to survive most attempts at bludgeoning. It can even be beaten into the soil and survive to hop away hurt. The toad is also faster than people might expect, so some measure of stealth is required on approach.
Its poison is unlikely to kill an adult but for safety's sake, picking up the toad in a plastic bag, rather than with bare hands, is a good idea.
Don't do what one NT member of Parliament recommended, and sink a golf club into the toad. This is unlikely to kill it.