NICK EICHER, HOST: Mary, did you hear about Toadzilla?
MARY REICHARD, HOST: Noooo!
AUDIO: It's alive. A gigantic beast, walking the earth...
Yes, truth is stranger than fiction.
Rangers in Australia last week discovered a massive amphibian, hiding deep in the rainforest of Conway National Park in Queensland.
AUDIO: Is this the end of our civilization?
Ok, maybe not that bad, but rangers say Toadzilla earned his name. It’s a six-pound cane toad and it’s probably the biggest ever recorded. He’s twice as big as the second biggest.
AUDIO: Incredible, unbelievable, a story beyond your wildest dreams.
So of course "Toadzilla" had to go. He’s an invasive species and he’d end up destroying the park.
Just by way of background: The cane toad was brought into Australia back in the 1930s to combat the cane beetle. But now it has become the pest.
AUDIO: Can the scientists of the world find a way to stop this creature?
Turns out the Queensland Museum is interested. It’s offered to take "Toadzilla" for further study.
What could go wrong?
It’s The World and Everything in It.
WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.
Please wait while we load the latest comments...
Comments
Please register, subscribe, or log in to comment on this article.