CANBERRA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- An Australian senator has revealed an ambitious plan to eradicate invasive cane toads, calling on the government to pay Australians to collect the amphibians for extermination.
Pauline Hanson, leader of the right-wing One Nation Party, on Wednesday called for a three-month collect-a-toad campaign, during which time Australians would be paid 10 Australian cents (seven U.S. cents) for every toad collected and given to their local council for extermination.
The program would be run in the Northern Territory (NT), Queensland, Western Australia (WA) and Queensland, the states and territory where the cane toad infestation is worst.
Cane toads were introduced to Australia in the 1930s to eradicate beetles that were ravaging sugarcane crops in Queensland.
Since then, Australia's cane toad population has grown to 200 million with the pests killing native wildlife and spreading disease throughout the country.
"When rabbits plagued our nation, a sizeable reward was posted for the biological control of the species," Hanson wrote in an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
"Other invasive species such as European carp have been eradicated from waterways using biological measures and I believe it is time our federal parliament takes a swift, bipartisan approach into the eradication of this pest species.
"I would also encourage you to introduce a three-month bounty over summer months to help reduce the breeding numbers.
"A 10 cent reward for the collection of each cane toad ... would encourage most Australians living with the pest to take an active role in reducing their numbers until a biological measure is developed."
Hanson said that the plan would encourage children to be active during the summer school holidays as well as giving them an opportunity to make some money while saving Australian ecosystems.
