‘Monster’ Toad Captured Down Under

DARWIN, Australia -- An Australian environmental group said it has captured a toad the size of a small dog. The toad weighs nearly 2 pounds and is among the largest specimens ever captured Down Under. It's a male too, which Frogwatch said is unusual. Frogwatch is dedicated to wiping out a toxic toad species that has killed countless Australian animals since it was imported from South America in the 1930s in a failed attempt to control beetles on sugar cane plantations. Frogwatch conducts regular raids on local water holes, then blinds the creatures with bright lights, scooping them up by the dozen. The toads are killed with carbon dioxide gas and put through a liquid fertilizer process that renders them nontoxic.