Hermione the Cane Toad
Say hello to Hermione, Kelly's pet cane toad. I didn't know cane toads were kept as pets, given their toxic nature. But now that I think of it, why not. Everything else poisonous or venomous, from giant centipedes to cobras, make for pets, so why not cane toads. Just please, please, Kelly. Don't release Hermione into the waterways of Northern California. We're having enough trouble getting rid of pike. The last thing we need is an Australian South American import.
Thanks for the cane toad, Kelly. I'm sure she's nice and happy (despite that sour glare).
UPDATE: Kelly informs me that Hermione once had a male companion. One guess as to what his name might have been. Might have been, because Ron is with us no more. Perhaps it is Hermione's loneliness that makes her a bit curmudgeonly...or Umbridgey.
Cane toeads are from Central and South America, not from Australia. However, they were stupidly introduced into other parts of the world (including Australia), where they are causing mayhem.
ReplyDeleteShe is my baby and I love her. Also, I got her from Northampton, UK, so she's hardly South American. Pfft.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with pike, by the way? They are an excellent fighting fish. I remember fishing with my dad as a young'un and he said pike were most desirable to catch because they are a challenge to land. Mind you, this was Vermont, where the most we usually had to deal with was trout. Trout are like Canadians. Anyone agree?
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Pike is that because they are voracious predators, they threaten other native and desirable sport species. The invasive pike actually cause economic and ecological damage that makes them quite undesirable.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cutie! Nice and plump and healthy looking. She looks adorable and I would be tempted to kiss it, until I realized what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteShe is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI have an American Toad, Jasmine, that I am rehabilitating over the winter and I have just fell in love with her.
Toads eat up to 1,000 insects per day, so some are very good for the environment.
Not that I am condoning what has happened in Australia, because it is an awful mess, just saying that they are doing a good service in their native environments.
And their cranky faces are just adorable.