Stuffed cane toads anyone?

Tweet

The photo is from Amanda’s Garden and doesn’t relate to the text. The plant is bloodleaf or Iresine herbstii. It’s prettier than a cane toad. I’ve written before about cane toads. They were introduced to try to rid Queensland’s sugarcane fields of cane beetles. However, the toads have dramatically increased in number and now threaten the existence of many of our smaller native animals. The toads have a poisonous gland on the back of their heads which is fatal if eaten by a would-be predator. So that’s the backstory. Mithram Selvaratnam came to Australia from Malaysia to study accounting but tired of the ‘rat race’ and eventually purchased a souvenir business in Darwin. Long story short, he now has over 500 cane toads in his freezer and has taught himself taxidermy. The toads now appear in a number of poses and sell as souvenirs. Every time there is a community ‘toad bust’, he is able to refill his freezers. Other chest freezers are filled with crocodile skulls which are also processed, though not stuffed, for sale. There are some great photos of his wares on the article. Here is the link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-17/cane-toad-taxidermy-crocodile-teeth-skull-at-darwin-markets/107274914