Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
Release Date
1988
Film Synopsis
A documentary detailing the spread of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads through Australia in a botched effort to introduce them as counter pests.
This documentary details the introduction of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads into Australia in 1935 in a botched effort to control a beetle infestation that was destroying the country's sugar cane fields. The cane toad ate the beetles—and everything else. With no natural predator to withstand its poison, the 100 original cane toad settlers soon took over the entire northern half of the vast continent of Australia. The film observes the toad's odd and often hilarious behavior and habits. Scientific commentary is balanced with fervently held opinions by local farmers on what to do about the cute but destructive cane toad.
Past Programs
2015
Maine Film Center, Waterville, ME