Prickly pear was introduced here about 100 years ago. Then when it looked like it was a bad mistake, bugs were introduced to kill it. The bugs preferred native plants so cane toads were brought in to eat the bugs. Seems the toads don't feel like eating when the bugs are active - wrong part of the life-cycle, so now the cane toads are killing everything. Any bird or small mammal that tries to eat the toads gets poisoned. Round and round we go!
On a happy note - our baby Brush-tail Possum we rescued and raised is ready to be released on our property. She will have to find other playmates. She's fun to have in the house but it's like living with a monkey. She swings around on the curtain rails and tears across the bookcases, knocking everything flying. If we are eating she grabs food from our plates. That film about Helen Keller comes to mind, the family meal-time before Patty Duke got through to Helen. Joy