PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Poisonous toads swarming through a South Florida neighborhood have residents concerned, WPTV reported.
Jennifer Quasha, who lives in the Mirabella neighborhood of Palm Beach Gardens, took photos showing thousands of dime-sized toads clogging yards, pools, patios and streets, WPBF reported.
"I just see a massive amount of toads or frogs everywhere, covering every square inch," Quasha told WPTV. "You can't even walk through the grass without stepping on one."
Quasha said he spoke with officials of her community's homeowner's association, who told her the animals were poisonous bufo toads, WPTV reported. The toads can cause eye irritation in children and can be harmful to pets.
"If they are those toads they definitely are an issue," Ethan Howell, the manager of Florida Environmental Pest Management, told WPBF. "They are poisonous and they excrete a liquid from their glands and if that is ingested by (a) dog it can be fatal."
Mark Holladay, a lead technician with Toad Busters, a poisonous toad removal service, confirmed the toads in Quasha's neighborhood were bufo toads.
"With the warmer winter and then we had a rain two to three weeks ago, a torrential rain, that caused them to go into a breeding cycle," Holladay told WPTV. "They're not safe for pets or children. If a pet was to ingest too many of them, even at that small size, it would cause a problem."
Toad Busters will begin trapping and moving the toads beginning Tuesday, WPBF reported. But the sight of theme still disturbs Quasha and her neighbors
“I just ... can’t believe it,” Quasha told the television station. “It’s just really gross … I feel like I don’t have a backyard. I don’t have a front yard. I feel if we don’t leave we’re confined to the indoors. I feel like the toads are taking over.”
Cox Media Group
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