Teaching crocodiles not to eat cane toads saves them from fatal poisoning, researchers discover
by Emily Wind from Science | The Guardian on (#6PZ39)
In gorges already infested with the pest amphibians, rangers have managed to cut the freshwater crocodile mortality rate by 95%
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Tricking freshwater crocodiles in Western Australia into believing toxic cane toads cause food poisoning could stop the crocs dying during future infestations of the pest, a new study which produced dramatic cuts in fatalities has found.
The practice, known as taste aversion training, involves removing the poisonous parts from hundreds of dead cane toads and injecting them with a nausea-inducing chemical - in this case, lithium chloride, a strong salt.
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