Could a Rain of Dead, Poisoned Toads Save an Australian Marsupial?

In 1935, Australia introduced the cane toad to its sugar cane fields to battle beetle infestations--and the ecosystem has never been the same. The toxic toads took a liking to Australia and began spreading through the northeast, killing the native predators like crocodiles, snakes, and lizards that dined on them. A small cat-like marsupial, the quoll, was no exception. In the decades after the toads’ introduction, quoll populations in northern Australia have dipped precipitously. This year, ahead of the toads' march into the quolls' last stronghold, the Kimberly region,