Fears cane toads are closing in on WA

The discovery of an adult cane toad in a remote Kimberly community has sparked fears that the pest is closing in on WA.

Kimberly Toad Buster spokeswoman Sandy Boulter said the adult toad hitchhiked on a truck from Darwin to Turkey Creek, a small settlement 858km east of Broome, on the Great Northern Highway last Tuesday.

She said the toad - the first to be found in Turkey Creek - was found by Warmun General Store workers when they unloaded the truck.

Turkey Creek is the only town near WA's iconic Bungle Bungles - a major tourist attraction in the region.

Students from Ngalanagnagpum School have preserved the toad ahead of an educational visit from the Toad Busters, who are working to stop the toad from reaching WA.

Under the State Government's draft Cane Toad Strategy for West Australia 2009-19, the government plans to strengthen quarantine procedures along WA's border to prevent the spread of cane toads.

Species threatened by cane toads will be identified, quarantine procedures will be reviewed and strengthened, education campaigns will be developed and long-term biological control measures put in place as part of the plan.

Members of the community have until tomorrow to comment on the draft policy.

The Toad Busters are concerned their methods of killing the toads with Dettol and carbon dioxide will be banned because the Department of Environment and Conservation considered it inhumane.

Ms Boulter said more violent options of killing the pests were not practical to the volunteers.

"Dettol power backpacks can kill millions of toads in 10 minutes," she said.

"The main thing (we want) is to give us back our weapons."