By Nicky PhillipsFeb. 3, 2015, 10 p.m.

Theyre used to keep out dingoes, wild dogs and feral cats. Now scientists say fences could stop cane toads invading large parts of arid Australia.

Attempts to halt population growth: Fencing dams denies cane toads access to water, dramatically reducing cane toad numbers. Photo: UNSW

Fences give scientists the jump: Researchers tracked cane toads and found they cannot survive more than three days without water. Photo: UNSW

They're used to keep out dingoes, wild dogs and feral cats. Now scientists say fences could stop cane toads invading large parts of arid Australia.

Toads died en masse after a team of Sydney researchers erected fences around several man-made dams in the Northern Territory, preventing the animals' access to lifesaving water.

The fences also stopped the pests re-establishing their population the following year, making the simple solution the first successful method of controlling cane toads long term.

"There were dead cane toads piled up around the fences," said the study leader, Mike Letnic, from UNSW. "We smashed them."

Since their ill-conceived introduction, cane toads have marched across northern Australia, decimating populations of several native species.

Scientists, conservations and governments have tried many ways to thwart the toxic pest; including trapping, biological controls, even using their own toxin against them, with only short-term success.

Original post:
Fences could halt cane toad invasion of arid Australia, study

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Category: Fences