Seems that Australia’s aid programs in East Timor have delivered the Timorese a nasty surprise in the form of the cane toad.  The resilient and toxic toads, which have wreaked havoc across Australia, are believed to have hitched a ride on military vehicles.Since the arrival of cane toads arrival in Australia in the 1930s, they have spread from Queensland, where they were originally introduced to kill pests in the cane fields, to northern NSW and across into the Northern Territory.

I’m sure that Xanana Gusmao, Jose Ramos Horta and their compatriots will be somewhat less thankful for this gift from Australia than for all the military and police assistance we have provided and all that development aid since independence.

Maybe the Timorese people need to take up some new sports – like toad golf, toad hockey, etc?