--- title: "Florida Man Shoots 100 Poisonous Toads" description: "A Florida man named Joshua Hughes has taken Florida's worsening problem with invasive cane toads into his own hands." date: "2023-08-04" modified: "2023-08-07" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/florida-man-shoots-toads" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "florida" - "invasive species" - "the digest" - "toads" --- # Florida Man Shoots 100 Poisonous Toads ![A Florida man named Joshua Hughes has taken Florida's worsening problem with invasive cane toads into his own hands.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Man vs. Toad Sometimes, you just have to take things into your own hands. As [Tampa Bay news channel *WTSP* reports](), a Florida man named Joshua Hughes has put himself on the front lines of Florida's battle against invasive cane toads, taking to the streets of the city of Lutz, Florida with a BB gun to take out the poisonous invaders. Cane toads are a growing problem in Florida; like other invasive species, they disrupt the local ecosystems, and though the poison they secrete is mostly just irritating to humans, it can be fatal for a number of animals, including beloved family pets like [cats]() and [dogs](). "I was informed of a real serious invasion on this pond as far as cane toads," Hughes told *WTSP*. "So, I bought a BB gun and a flashlight and just started looking." Wearing a "Joshua's Pressure Washing & Much More" t-shirt, Hughes explained that on his very first night of the hunt, he'd killed over 60 of the noxious hoppers in a swift one-hour run. In the past three months, he told *WTSP*, he's killed well over 100. "I've counted them," he told the outlet, "there are about 120 that I've killed." Really putting the "& Much More" in his business model, we see. Seriously though, gotta hand it to the guy. Cane toads are very bad — [Toadzilla notwithstanding](), may her royal largeness rest in peace — and any effort to remove them from the region is nothing short of a public service. ## Got Shooters Hughes did note to *WTSP* that he first took to gathering the toads and freezing them — a more humane way to kill the invaders — but quickly ran out of freezer space. Cane toads aren't just a problem in Florida. Native to Central and South America, the chonky froggos are also invasive to [Australia](), [Hawaii](), and [the Phillippines](), among other global locales. Worse, the expansive problem has generally been self-inflicted. As is the case in Florida, the amphibians were actually [manually introduced to global cane fields]() back in the 1930s and 40s as part of an ill-advised effort to manage *other* pests. But as often goes with transplanted species, these populations have since spiraled [out of control](). Which, honestly, makes the whole thing that much more of a bummer. Yes, cane toads are a big problem, but it's also not at all their fault! Next time we find an amphibious chonkster in the Amazon simply minding it business, let's *not* drop it in random cane fields around the globe. **More on cane toads:** [*Authorities Euthanize World’s Largest Toad*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()