Deadly 60 – Hounded – 20 Aug 2010

The first recording today starts with the end of Copycats. There’s a trail for Ultimate Summer programmes. Then it’s Deadly 60 – Australia. Steve Backshall takes a microlight to look at the Australian landscape. He looks at the Cane Toad, a hugely invasive species which were deliberately introduced to kill insects which were eating the sugar cane crops, and it was discovered that they were useless at that, but they ate everything else, and they are also poisonous, so they’re not eaten by other animals much. But “it’s only here that they’re doing incredible damage, and that’s our fault, so they’re not going in to the Deadly 60.” Next it’s a Paralysis Tick. Steve visits a sanctuary which helps flying foxes which have tick infestations. His film crew can’t resist ribbing him when he has to dress in safety gear. He’s there to look at the Stinging Tree. I remember that from my childhood. Gave me nightmares. No, wait, that was the Singing Ringing Tree. This one is so stingy it’s even able…