[pshrynk]

When a species is "invasive" there is an acute and urgent need to do everything possible to eradicate it from the invaded environment. Here in the upper Midwest, it is Zebra Mussels and a species of Chinese Carp. If unchecked, the zebra mussels will choke out and kill the aquatic environment. As in completely dead, without oxygen, plant life, or native species. And what the mussels leave, the carp will destroy.

The Cane Toad will do a similar number on native species in Australia, which is an extremely fragile ecosystem. So they need to be eradicated. To dispose of toads or any other amphibian, one must kill them. You can't box them up and send them back to South America. To kill the invasive species humanely and by that, I mean with as little pain and suffering as possible, the best way is to freeze them. Their bodies think that the cold temp is the onset of winter, sot hey hibernate. The freezing takes them past the viability point, and they are totally unconcious when they cross that threshold.

As one trained in Environmental Biology, the biggest challenge facing us in the ecology after global warming is the invasive species. It is something that we, as citizens of the world need to participate in. Mostly by not being stupid enough to bring a non-native species into our ecology, but also by following instuctions by wildlife biologists when we have them there already.

My sympathies are with the ecology on this one.