Australia has a new weapon in the fight against the dreaded cane toad, one of the country's most harmful introduced pests.
A competition to find the most effective way of trapping the toads has been won by a mechanic from a town on the front line of their relentless advance.
The Great Cane Toad Trap Competition, and A$16,000 in prize money, was won by Paul Baker, a diesel mechanic from Katherine in the Northern Territory.
Baker's trap features a small lamp to lure insects, which in turn attract the toads. As the creatures lunge for the juicy flies buzzing around the light, they activate a trap door which drops them into a box. The trap will now be built on a commercial scale and deployed around the NT.
Baker's design was the winner by a clear margin: over a few days it caught 112 cane toads, compared to the next best tally of 73.
