AU2005203569A1 - Animal trap - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Applicant: ANIMAL TRAP PAUL BAKER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: -2- ANIMAL TRAP Field of the Invention The present invention relates to animal traps and, more particularly, to live animal traps for trapping insect-eating animals such as cane toads.

Background of the Invention The cane toad (Bufo marinus) was introduced into Australia in Queensland in 1935 in an attempt to control specific beetle species in sugarcane. Due primarily to Queensland's warm environment, the cane toad population flourished without significantly affecting the beetle population it was meant to eradicate. The cane toad population has since spread west and south from Queensland and the population continues to expand southwards at a rate of about 1.3 kilometres a year, and is also spreading across the tropical north towards Western Australia.

One isolated community was recently discovered as far south as Port Macquarie in New South Wales.

Cane toads are widely considered as pests in the areas in which they are present. Cane toads have a negative environmental impact because they exude a toxin that can kill animals that eat it. Cane toads also tend to compete with native animals for food and are capable of carrying diseases that can be transmitted to native frogs and fishes.

Current conventional control methods for eradicating or controlling the spread of cane toads concentrate mainly on quarantine checks of vehicles, public involvement in 'toad hunts' and education. But these have not been effective in stopping the cane toad spreading.

A considerable amount of time and money is now being spent on research into methods for controlling the cane toad population. Efforts to date can be divided -3into three general areas. Fencing may be adapted to prevent entry of cane toads into a particular area, such as the back yard of a house. To do this, it has been suggested that mesh screen be placed around the outside of an existing fence with the screen buried about 100mm into the ground and extending at least 500mm above the ground. However, this procedure does not assist in the eradication of cane toads.

It has also been suggested that biological control agents be used to specifically kill cane toads. However, to date there is no agent available that is selectively toxic to cane toads.

A third technique that has been used is trapping of cane toads.

Advantages of trapping over other methods are that it can significantly reduce the numbers of cane toads, or even possibly lead to eradication of cane toads, and it is simple to set up and is relatively cost effective.

The present invention was developed in response to continued efforts to develop cane toad traps showing an improvement in the ability to trap cane toads. The present invention has arisen out of the inventor's studies on some of the physiological characteristics of cane toads, including their ability to climb and the height of their jump.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a cane toad trap including: a chamber for holding a trapped cane toad, the chamber having a base, a top cover and at least one wall extending between the base and the top cover so as to form the chamber; an opening to the chamber, the opening being sized to permit entry of the cane toad into the chamber; one or more doors covering the opening when in a closed position, wherein the door(s) are moveable by a cane toad from the closed -4position to an opened position whereby the cane toad is able to pass through the opening into the chamber, said doors being biased to the closed position by a biasing means to thereby retain the cane toad within the chamber; a screen for attracting insects, the screen extending outwardly from the top cover, a light source for illuminating the screen; wherein, in use, the screen is illuminated to attract insects thereto and the screen is positioned so as to lure a cane toad to move one or more of the doors so that it passes through the opening and is trapped within the chamber.

The trap may include more than one independently operable door covering the opening. The doors may be connected to the trap so that they are able to pivot between the closed position and the opened position.

The opening may be on the top cover of the trap and/or in a side wall of the trap. There may be more than one opening in the trap.

Depending on the location of the opening, the screen is positioned relative to the doors so that insects that gather on or near the screen lure the animal through the opening.

The present invention also provides a method for trapping cane toads by using the trap of the invention.

The present invention also provides an animal trap including: a chamber for holding a trapped animal, the chamber having a base, a top cover and at least one wall extending between the base and the top cover so as to form the chamber; an opening to the chamber in the top cover, the opening being sized to permit entry of the animal into the chamber; one or more doors covering the opening when they are in a closed position, the door(s) being movable between an opened position in which the animal is able to pass through the opening into the chamber, and the closed position in which the animal is retained within the chamber, the door(s) being biased to the closed position by a biasing means; a bait area adjacent the opening and positioned so as to, in use, lure an animal onto one or more of the doors so that the weight of the animal moves at least one of the doors to the opened position and the animal passes through the opening and is trapped within the chamber.

Brief Description of the Figures Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trap according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a door of the trap according to the first embodiment of the invention showing the range of movement of the door.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional side view of the trap according to the first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a trap according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional side view of the trap according to the second embodiment of the invention.

-6- Figure 6 is a perspective view of the trap according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention The animal trap of the present invention has been developed for trapping cane toads. The first and second embodiments of the invention that are described herein are normally used for trapping cane toads. A third embodiment of the invention may have more widespread use and may be used for trapping a variety of animals. For the sake of further description, we will refer to the trapping of cane toads in describing the first and second embodiments of the invention. However, in describing the third embodiment of the invention a more general description will be used.

Three embodiments of a trap of the present invention are shown in the Figures.

A first embodiment of a trap of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3, a second embodiment of a trap is shown in Figures 4 and 5, whilst a third embodiment of a trap is shown in Figure 6.

The cane toad trap 10 that is shown in Figures 1 to 6 includes a chamber 12 for holding a cane toad. The chamber 12 is defined by a base 14, a top cover 16 and at least one wall 18 extending between the base 14 and the top cover 16.

In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, the trap 10 is generally rectangular in plan view, front view and side view. The chamber 12 has four walls 18 consisting of opposed side walls 18c,18d, a front wall 18a and a back wall 18b. The front wall 18a and the back wall 18b each extend between the side walls 18c,18d to form a rectangular enclosure. It is contemplated that other shapes of trap could also be used, such as traps that are circular, square or ellipsoidal in plan view.

The trap 10 will typically be placed on top of the ground in an area that cane toads (or other animals in the case of the third embodiment of the invention) -7may inhabit. This makes the trap relatively simple to set up and use. The trap is also portable, which means it can be moved from one area to another relatively easily.

In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, the base 14 and side walls 18c,18d are formed from sheet metal. These walls could also be formed from other suitable materials, such as plastic, wood, fibreglass etc.

In the first and third embodiments of the invention that are shown in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, respectively, the top cover 16, the front wall 18a and the back wall 18b are all formed from the same sheet metal material as the base 14 and side walls 18c,18d. Thus, the trap 10 of the first embodiment forms an enclosed box.

In the second embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 4 and the top cover 16 and an upper section of the front wall 18a and an upper section of the back wall 18b are formed from a mesh material. The mesh material is preferably steel, but other metal, plastic, etc mesh materials could also be used.

The mesh material allows small flying insects to pass through the top of the trap into the chamber 12, but prevents cane toads from escaping from the chamber.

The trap 10 has an opening 20 that is sized to permit entry of a cane toad (or other animal in the case of the third embodiment of the invention) into the chamber.

In the first and third embodiments of the invention that are shown in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, respectively, the opening 20 is in the top cover 16. The opening is rectangular and extends across the width of the trap 10 from one side wall 18c to the other side wall 18d. The opening 20 is defined at its ends by the side walls 18c,18d, whilst one of the longest sides of the opening 20 is defined by a main section 22 of the top cover 16. The other longest edge of the opening is defined by a smaller, lip section 24 of the top cover 16.

-8- A number of doors 26 collectively cover the opening 20 when they are in a closed position. The doors 26 may not necessarily cover the entire area of the opening, provided that any gaps between adjacent doors or between the doors and the trap are not large enough for trapped cane toads to escape. For example, there may be small gaps between adjacent doors to prevent the doors contacting each other.

As best seen in Figures 2 and 3, the doors 26 are movable between an opened position in which a cane toad (or other animal) is able to pass through the opening 20 and into the chamber 12, and a closed position in which the doors 26 cover the opening 20 to retain a cane toad or other animal within the chamber 12.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, the doors 26 are rectangular and are attached to the trap 10 so that they are able to pivot between the open and closed positions. Each of the doors 26 has a pivot point that is offset from the centre towards one end of the door. The doors are connected to the trap using a hinge 34. A number of hinge arrangements could possibly be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge is a pivot hinge and each of the doors 26 is pivotably connected to a hinge rod 36. The hinge rod 36 spans between each of the side walls 18c,18d of the trap. The hinge rod is formed from 8mm diameter steel rod and is fixed at each end to a respective side wall 18c or 18d.

In the illustrated embodiment, each end of the hinge rod 36 passes through an aperture (not shown) in the side wall and a washer is welded to the end of the hinge rod 36 adjacent the exterior surface of the side wall 18c or 18d. Other methods for fixing the hinge rod to the side walls, such as spot welding, could also be used and they will be evident to the person skilled in the art.

Each of the doors 26 has a rod receiving section 38 for pivotably connecting the door 26 to the hinge rod 36. In the embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, the rod receiving section 38 is in the -9form of tabs 40 that extend from the underside each of the doors 26. There are two tabs 40 positioned on each side of the door. Each of the tabs 40 has an aperture and the apertures in the tabs are aligned with one another so that the hinge rod 36 can be inserted therethrough. Spacers 44 are inserted onto the rod between the tabs 40 on adjacent doors 26 in order to prevent the doors from sliding longitudinally along the hinge rod 36. Each of the tabs 40 is integrally formed with the door 26 by cutting and folding a small section of the door.

In operation, the doors 26 are able to pivot on the hinge rod 26 between the opened position and the closed position. In the closed position, the doors 26 collectively cover the opening 20. In the closed position, the doors 26 extend between the lip section 24 and the main section 22 of the top cover 16. The main section 22 of the top cover acts as a stop to prevent the doors pivoting upwardly from the top cover past the closed position. Other mechanisms for stopping the doors from moving past the closed position could also be used.

Each door 26 is only able to pivot through a restricted arc between the closed position and the opened position because the door is stopped at one extreme the closed position) by the top cover 16 and at the other extreme the opened position) by the base 14, as best seen in Figure 3.

Each of the doors 26 is biased to the closed position by a biasing means 46. In the illustrated embodiment, the biasing means 46 is a weight 48 that is attached to each of the doors 26 on the lip section 24 side of the pivot point. As such, each of the doors has a weighted end 50. The weighted end 50 of each door 26 is angled away from the rest of the door. The angle of the weighted end relative to the rest of the door is about 500 in the illustrated embodiment, although the angle could be between 00 and 900 and the weight 48 would still be effective to bias the doors to the closed position. The weight 48 can be attached to the weighted end 50 of the door 26 using any suitable means of fixing. In the illustrated embodiment, the weight 48 is a section of 6mm steel plate that is fixed to the weighted end 50 of the door 26 with one or more rivets.

The weight 48 could also be fixed to the door 26 using other suitable fasteners, including by welding.

The weighted end 50 biases the door 26 to the closed position. A combination of the pivot point of the door being toward one end of the door 26, and the weighted end 50 being behind the pivot point provides a mechanical advantage.

The weight 48 is heavy enough to hold the door 26 in the closed position, and it may also be heavy enough to allow relatively light animals, such as small tree frogs or the like, to stand on the door 26 without it pivoting to the opened position. However, once a heavier animal such as a cane toad moves onto the door 26, the weight of the animal overcomes the weight of the weighted end and the door 26 pivots to the opened position. Again, the positioning of the pivot point toward the weighted end 50 of the door 26 provides some leverage to assist in pivoting the door to the opened position. Once the door 26 pivots to the opened position, the cane toad falls into the trap. The angle of the door 26 relative to the top cover 16 when the door is in the opened position means that the cane toad may slide down the top surface of the door 26 into the chamber 12. A combination of a poor climbing ability on surfaces such as sheet metal (as discussed in more detail later) and the angle of the door in the opened position also means that the cane toad is not able to climb back up along the top surface of a door when it is in the opened position. The present inventor has also noted that cane toads tend to jump forward off of the door 26 and into the main part of chamber 12 as the door 26 moves to the opened position. The weight of the cane toad is subsequently removed from the door 26 and it returns to the closed position under the influence of the weighted end 50. In the embodiment of the invention that is illustrated, it takes a 15 gram weight to move the door to the opened position.

The lip section 24 of the top cover 16 covers the weighted end 50 of the door and thereby prevents a cane toad (or any other animal) standing on the weighted end 50 of the door 26 which could otherwise prevent it from pivoting to the opened position once a cane toad moves onto it.

11 Other biasing means could be used in place of the weighted end 50. For example, a torsion spring could be fitted about the hinge rod 36, with the torsion spring biasing the door 26 to the closed position. The weight of an animal on the door 26 would then work against the bias of the torsion spring and the door 26 would pivot to the opened position as described previously. However, the counterweight system that is described herein may be preferred because it is a relatively simple construction and it is robust.

In the embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, there are five doors 26 arranged in side by side manner so as to cover the opening 20. It is preferred that an opening 20 of the size of the one shown in these Figures is covered by a number of doors 26 that open and close independently of one another as opposed to a single door covering the whole opening. In the illustrated embodiment, the doors 26 are 215 mm by 125 mm which provides an area sufficient for an average sized cane toad to fit on to a door 26. Thus, when a cane toad moves on to the doors 26 it is only the one or two doors that the cane toad is on that open whilst the rest of the doors remain closed. In this way, there is less chance of any cane toads that are already in the trap escaping when the one or two doors 26 open, which would more likely be the case if a single door covered all of the opening. Of course, if the opening is small enough to just allow a single cane toad to pass through, then there may only be a need for a single door 26 covering the opening 20. However, a trap of the latter type may not be as efficient as the trap that is illustrated herein because it may be less likely to trap cane toads due to the decrease in the size of the opening 20 and hence the surface area of doors 26.

As best seen in Figure 3, the angle of the weighted end 50 of each of the doors 26 means that there is a gap 52 between the weighted end 50 of the door 26, the front wall 18a, and the lip section 24 of the top cover 16 when the door is in the closed position. The gap 52 is large enough for animals such as tree frogs and snakes to escape from inside the chamber 12.

-12- The present inventor has recognised that, unlike many frogs and snakes, cane toads are poor climbers and they are not able to climb up a relatively smooth vertical surface, such as the sheet metal walls of the trap that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6. This means that cane toads are not able to climb up the walls 18 of the trap that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6 and escape through either the opening 20 or the gap 52. Also, the distance that a cane toad is able to jump vertically appears to not be as great as that of some frog species. The distance between the base 14 and the top cover 16 in the illustrated embodiments is 200mm which, in some cases, may be high enough to prevent cane toads from jumping directly from the base 14 out of the trap though the opening 20 when one or more of the doors 26 is in the opened position. In any event, even if cane toads were able to jump from the base 14 out through the opening 20, it is most likely that they would fall back into the chamber. The gap 52 may allow for the entry of some light into the chamber 12 of the trap which may attract cane toads that are inside the trap to try to escape through the gap 52. However, if a cane toad was to try and jump up toward the gap 52, it is likely to hit the underside of the weighted end 50 of a door 26. Due to the angle of the weighted end 50 of the door, the door 26 would pivot to the opened position and in doing so the gap 52 would narrow, thereby effectively preventing the cane toad from escaping.

Thus, a benefit of the trap 10 of the present invention is that it may be selective in the type of wildlife that it traps. Cane toads, once trapped, are unable to jump or climb out of the trap. However, other animals may be able to climb the inside of the walls and escape through the gap 52 that is formed between the doors 26, the front wall 18a, and the top cover 16. Indeed, in trials conducted to date, the trap that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 trapped only cane toads.

The first and third embodiments of the invention that are shown in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, respectively, also contain a set of ramps 54 that lead from the ground to the top of the trap 10. The ramps 54 are formed from the same sheet -13material as the trap 10. The ramps 54 are attached to the trap at the front wall 18a and the side walls 18c,18d adjacent the opening 20. In each case, the top of the ramps leads directly to the opening 20. The ramps 54 allow animals to climb up onto the top of the trap 10. Each of the ramps has a lip (not shown) that hooks over the top of either the side wall 18c or 18d or the front wall 18a in order to attach it to the trap.

A notable difference between the trap 10 of the first embodiment of the invention (Figures 1 to 3) and the trap 10 of the second embodiment of the invention (Figures 4 and 5) is the position of the opening 20 and the material that is used to form the top cover 16, the front wall 18a and the back wall 18b.

In the second embodiment of the invention that is shown in Figures 4 and 5 the base 14 and the side walls 18c,18d are formed from sheet metal as described earlier in relation to the first embodiment of the invention. However, in the second embodiment of the invention the top cover 16 and an upper section of each of the front wall 18a and the back wall 18b is formed from sheet mesh material. Each of the side walls 18c and 18d contains a transparent window 58 at close to ground level that enables a cane toad to see the inside the trap The top cover 16 is formed from two sections 60a and 60b that are separated by a screen 62, the details of which will be described in more detail later. Each of the sections 60a and 60b is formed from a sheet of mesh material that is folded at right angles, with one of the folded sections forming the top cover 16, and the other of the folded sections forming the upper section of the front wall 18a, or the upper section of the back wall 18b. The folded sheet mesh is fastened to a lip (not shown) on the side walls 18c,18d using rivets.

The opening 20 is located in each of the front wall 18a and the back wall 18b adjacent the base 14. Each opening 20 is rectangular and spans the width of the trap 10. Each opening 20 is defined at its end by the side walls 18c,18d, at the bottom by the base 14, and at the top by the front and back walls 18a and 18b, respectively.

-14- As with the first embodiment of the invention, each of the openings 20 is covered by one or more doors 26 in the closed position. The doors 26 are pivotably connected to the trap. A support bar 64 extends horizontally between the side walls 18c and 18d. The support bar 64 is formed from a length of rightangle aluminium that is fastened with rivets to a lip (not shown) of each of the opposed side walls 18c,18d. Each of the doors 26 are pivotably connected to the support bar 64.

Each of the doors 26 is rectangular and has a hinged end 66 and a free end 68.

The hinged end 66 of each of the doors 26 is connected to the support bar 64 by a hinge arrangement 34. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge arrangement is a flexible hinge 70 that is formed from a woven plastic material.

The hinged end 66 of each of the doors 26 is fastened to the flexible hinge using rivets, however, any suitable means for fastening could be used. The flexible hinge 70 is fastened to the support bar 64 by clamping it between the support bar, and a metal strip (not shown). The metal strip and support bar 64 are riveted together to clamp the flexible hinge 70 therebetween. Other hinge arrangements 34 could also be used. For example, a piano hinge could be used to connect each door 26 to the support bar 64.

The doors 26 are biased to the closed position by their own weight. That is, the doors 26 hang from the support bar 64 and are held normally in the closed position by gravity. In the closed position, the free end 68 of each of the doors bears against a lip 72 that is formed in the base 14 to prevent the doors 26 pivoting past the closed position. The doors 26 are pivoted to the open position by a cane toad trying to move into the chamber 12 of the trap. Once a cane toad has passed through the opening 20, the door 26 returns to the closed position under the influence of gravity. The doors 26 could also be biased to the closed position by a secondary biasing means, such as a compression or torsion spring, if necessary.

As with the first embodiment of the invention, a number of doors 26 cover the opening 20. In the illustrated embodiment, there are nine doors 26 arranged in side by side manner so as to cover the opening 20. Each of the doors is pivotable about the flexible hinge 70. In the illustrated embodiment, the doors 26 are 140 mm by 80 mm. The doors are formed from a transparent plastic material so that a cane toad can see through the doors into the interior of the trap.

In an embodiment of the invention that is not illustrated, the trap may be a combination of a top door trap as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, and a side door trap as illustrated in Figures 4 and In each of the embodiments that are illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, a screen 62 for attracting insects extends outwardly from the top cover 16 of the trap 10. In the first embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the screen 62 extends upwardly from the top cover 16 of the trap 10. In the second embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, part of the screen 62 extends upwardly from the top cover 16, whilst another part of the screen 62 extends downwardly from the top cover 16 into the interior of the chamber 12.

In both cases, the screen 62 is a substantially vertical, planar panel. A light source 74 projects light onto the screen 62. In the illustrated embodiments, the light source 74 is a fluorescent globe 76 that is positioned so as to cast or otherwise project light onto the screen 62. In the first embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the fluorescent globe 76 is fastened to a surface of the screen 62 facing the opening 20 in the top cover 16. In the second embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the screen contains a cut-out section 78 and the fluorescent globe is fastened in the cut out section 78 so that it casts or projects light onto both surfaces of the screen 62. In each case, when the light is on the screen 62 is illuminated and due to the relatively large surface area of the screen 62, substantially more -16insects are attracted to the screen 62 than would be the case if a light source without a screen was used.

The illuminated screen 62 attracts insects, which tend to crawl over the screen.

Some of the insects on the screen may also fall or otherwise congregate at the base of the screen 62. The insects on the screen lure cane toads to the trap and into the chamber 12 via the opening In the first embodiment of the invention that is shown in Figures 1 to 3, the insects that congregate around the base of the screen 62 may also tend to collect on the doors 26 and/or on the top cover 16 adjacent the opening Therefore, in use, the position of the screen 62 attracts insects to that particular area of the trap which, in turn, attracts the cane toad onto the doors 26. As described previously, when this happens the weight of the cane toad forces the door or doors onto which that cane toad has moved to pivot to the opened position and the cane toad falls into the trap. In this embodiment, the light only projects one way from the screen 62, but it has been found that cane toads are also attracted to the non-illuminated side of the trap by insects flying above the screen. Therefore, it is contemplated that the base of the screen may contain one or more apertures that allow cane toads to pass through to the other side of the screen. In this embodiment, it may be necessary to add a fourth ramp at the back of the trap to allow cane toads to climb up onto the main section of the top cover.

In the second embodiment of the invention that is shown in Figures 4 and 5, the screen 62 works in the same fashion. However, in this case part of the screen 62 also extends downwardly into the interior of the chamber 12. A channel is formed in the top cover 16 adjacent the screen 62. The channel 80 is about wide and it may allow smaller animals (such as tree frogs) that are inadvertently trapped in the chamber to escape by jumping out via the channel, or by climbing the screen 62 to escape via the channel 80. The channel 80 may also allow insects to gather on or near the surface of the screen 62 and to move -17down into the interior of the chamber 12. Insects may therefore be attracted to the interior of the chamber 12 by the lighted screen 62 that is positioned therein.

The insects are also able to pass through the mesh material of the top cover 16, the front wall 18a and the back wall 18b. Part of the screen 62 also extends upwardly from the top cover 16 on the exterior of the trap. This section of the screen 62, when illuminated, may attract insects to the general area of the trap thereby also attracting cane toads to the area. A cane toad may then be lured into the chamber by the insects that are either on or near that part of the screen 62 that is in the interior of the chamber 12. Also, insects may drop from the screen 62 onto the base 14 in the chamber 12. Preferably, the base is coloured so as to make the insects on the base more visible. For example, the interior surface of the base 14 is preferably painted white so that insects on the base 14 are more visible from outside of the trap In use, it is found that the screen 62 increases the amount of light and also increases the area that is illuminated, which in turn attracts more insects to the trap 10. The screen 62 also creates a surface for insects to crawl on and this provides a positive feeding area for the cane toads (as opposed to insects flying around in the air). The area of the screen 62 is approximately the same as the area of the top cover 16.

In each case, field trials that have been conducted to date have shown that the traps of the present invention are able to trap significantly more cane toads than existing traps.

A third embodiment of the trap of the present invention is shown in Figure 6. In this embodiment, the trap does not have a screen 62 as in the first and second embodiments of the invention. The trap of the third embodiment of the invention may be used to trap animals other than cane toads. When the trap is used in this way, there may be no need to incorporate an insect attracting screen and a light source on the trap. Thus, the trap 10 may be used more generally as an animal trap that includes a chamber 12 for holding a trapped -18animal. The chamber 12 has a base 14, a top cover 16 and four walls 18a,18b,18c,18d extending between the base 14 and the top cover 12. An opening 20 to the chamber 12 is formed in the top cover 16. The opening 20 is sized to permit entry of the animal into the chamber 12. One or more doors 26 cover the opening 20 when they are in a closed position. The doors 26 are movable between an opened position in which the animal is able to pass through the opening 20 into the chamber 12, and the closed position in which the animal is retained within the chamber 12. The doors 26 are biased to the closed position by a biasing means 46. The trap also includes a bait area 82 adjacent the opening. The bait area is positioned so as to lure an animal onto one or more of the doors 26 so that the weight of the animal moves at least one of the doors to the opened position so that the animal passes through the opening 20 and is trapped within the chamber 12.

The trap of the third embodiment of the invention is constructed and used in the same way as the trap of the first embodiment of the invention.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. A cane toad trap including: a chamber for holding a trapped cane toad, the chamber having a base, a top cover and at least one wall extending between the base and the top cover so as to form the chamber; an opening to the chamber, the opening being sized to permit entry of a cane toad into the chamber; one or more doors covering the opening when in a closed position, wherein the door(s) are moveable by a cane toad from the closed position to an opened position whereby the cane toad is able to pass through the opening into the chamber, said doors being biased to the closed position by a biasing means to thereby retain the cane toad within the chamber; a screen for attracting insects, the screen extending outwardly from the top cover; a light source for illuminating the screen; wherein, in use, the screen is illuminated to attract insects thereto and the screen is positioned so as to lure cane toads to actuate one or more of the doors so that they pass through the opening and are trapped within the chamber.

2. A cane toad trap according to claim 1, wherein the screen is planar.

3. A cane toad trap according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein screen is substantially vertical.

4. A cane toad trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the area of the screen is approximately the same as the area of the top cover. 20 A cane toad trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the trap includes a plurality of independently operable doors covering said opening.

6. A cane toad trap according to claim 5, wherein the doors are pivotably connected to the trap such that the doors are able to pivot between the closed position and the opened position.

7. A cane toad trap according to claim 6, wherein the opening is in the top cover.

8. A cane toad trap according to claim 7, wherein a door is actuated by the weight of the animal on the door.

9. A cane toad trap according to either claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the biasing means is a weight biases the door to the closed position. A cane toad trap according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the screen is positioned adjacent the doors so that insects that gather on or near the screen lure cane toads onto the doors.

11. A cane toad trap according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further including a gap between a door, the wall, and the top cover to allow animals other than cane toads to escape.

12. A cane toad trap according to claim 6, wherein the opening is in a side wall of the trap adjacent the base of the trap.

13. A cane toad trap according to claim 12, wherein the door is biased to the closed position by the weight of the door. -21

14. A cane toad trap according to either claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the top cover is formed from a mesh material that allows insects to pass therethrough into the chamber and onto the base of the chamber.

15. A cane toad trap according to claim 15, wherein the screen extends substantially vertically upward from the top cover and downward from the top cover into the chamber so as to attract insects into the chamber to lure cane toads through the doors.

16. A method of trapping cane toads, the method including placing a trap according to any one of claims 1 to 17 in an area in order to trap the cane toads.

17. An animal trap including: a chamber for holding a trapped animal, the chamber having a base, a top cover and at least one wall extending between the base and the top cover so as to form a chamber; an opening to the chamber in the top cover, the opening being sized to permit entry of the animal into the chamber; one or more doors covering the opening when they are in a closed position, the door(s) being movable between an opened position in which the animal is able to pass through the opening into the chamber, and the closed position in which the animal is retained within the chamber, the door(s) being biased to the closed position by a biasing means; a bait area adjacent the opening and positioned so as to, in use, lure an animal onto one or more of the doors so that the weight of the animal moves at least one of the doors to the opened position and the animal passes through the opening and is trapped within the chamber. -22-

18. An animal trap according to claim 17, wherein the trap includes a plurality of independently operable doors covering said opening.

19. An animal trap according to either claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the doors are pivotably connected to the trap such that the doors are able to pivot between the closed position and the opened position. An animal trap according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the door is actuated by the weight of the animal on the door.

21. An animal trap according to claim 19, wherein the biasing means is a weight that biases the door to the closed position.

22. A cane toad trap according to any one of claims 1 to 16 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the Figures 1 to

23. An animal trap according to any one of claims 17 to 21 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 6. DATED: 11 August 2005 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for PAUL BAKER