ve animal life are extremely susceptible to the many poisons in the cane toad's venom. These include avid frog eaters such as the Tiger and Red bellied Black Snakes and the quolls. In areas where toads appear, there has been a subsequent decline in populations of these types of native animals, although more research is needed in this field. Research and Control "The CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) at Geelong is a high security microbiological facility, purpose designed and operated to undertake research into viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites which are exotic and do not occur in Australian domestic or wild animals." It is the only laboratory of its kind in Australia where studies on these exotic micro-organisms can be undertaken. Recently, the laboratory has been commissioned and funded to begin research into the control of the cane toad, using viruses or other microbial agents found overseas. The major concerns about the toad involve its "prodigious" appetite, and the toxicity of all its life stages to native animals. There are firmly held beliefs that these characteristics of the cane toad are responsible for the deaths of Australian wildlife including herpetofauna, mammals, and fish. The toad will almost certainly establish itself throughout the sensitive wetlands of northern Australia. The Australian Government has provided significant funds to gather data to determine whether the toad has an impact on the Australian environment and whether a biological control agent is required. The funding also encompasses the search for and assessment of possible control agents. Funding of the project is distributed through the CSIRO Division of Wildlife Ecology, Canberra, upon the advice of the Cane Toad Research Advisory Committee. Current work to investigate the control of the cane toad by biological means has evolved from "extensive studies over the past decade which have gathered basic ecological and disease d...
