[LINK] Wikipedia on the Cane Toad

[David Lochrin]

   On going to Wikipedia I was presented with the current feature article and a few recent contributions.  For an off-beat read which must mystify some non-Australian readers I suggest reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Toad and especially the Australian experience "In popular culture".

> The introduction and migration of the Cane Toad in Australia was popularised by the film Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988), which tells the tale with a humorous edge and is often shown in Environmental Science courses.  It was referred to in the Simpsons episode "Bart vs. Australia."
> 
> The children's novel Toad Rage, by Morris Gleitzman, is set in Australia; it is about a Cane Toad named Limpy who goes on an adventure to find out why humans go out of their way to run over Cane Toads.  The novel has two sequels, called Toad Heaven and Toad Away.
> 
> In the Australian rugby league, the Queensland State of Origin Team are informally known as the Cane Toads.  Their opponents, the New South Wales State of Origin Team, are known as the cockroaches.
> [...]
> In the Australian states where the Cane Toad is common, cruelty towards the toad has become popular, such as injuring the animals with golf clubs or cricket bats.  However, this is not effective, as the force exerted by a golf club or cricket bat is not sufficient to kill the animals immediately, and their poison remains toxic after their death.  In April 2005, Dave Tollner, a Northern Territory Member of Parliament, called for the legalisation of attacking the Cane Toad, which was criticised by many animal and conservation groups.[23]  The short film "Cane Toad - What happened to Baz?" displays the Australian attitude towards the Cane Toad.  This film won the "Best Comedy" award at the 2003 St. Kilda Film Festival.[24]  However, the short relies on humour which Australians connect with, and screenings in overseas festivals have been more reserved.
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> In the Dave Barry novel Big Trouble, a Cane Toad has a small yet important role.
> 
> The Cane Toad is being considered as a candidate by the National Trust of Queensland for being listed as a state icon of Queensland, alongside the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the mango tree. [25]

   Is this really true?

David