The picture on yesterday's front page of the five-legged toad is a signal to the authorities that all is not well with the Island's environment.

This newspaper does not pretend to have any special expertise on the environment, amphibians or pesticides. But it does not take an expert to see that something is going wrong here.

Dr. Jamie Bacon has stated that the conditions of the Island's amphibians — read toads — could well be a warning sign to humans that we are damaging our ground water and soil to a dangerous extent.

And while no one is suggesting that babies will be born with three arms next week or that this picture should be cause for panic, the picture and Dr. Bacon's research are cause for alarm.

She has stated that additional research needs to be undertaken quickly, and the funding for this needs to be provided.

A full analysis of the Island's groundwater also needs to be undertaken and made public to ensure that the community is not facing an imminent risk.

If it is clear that pesticides, which Dr. Bacon has indicated may be a culprit, are causing problems for the toad population, then those pesticides need to be banned.

Human beings have a responsibility to protect the other species that populate this delicate planet. But if that does not give sufficient cause for banning these pesticides, then we should bear in mind that whatever is doing this to the toads could do the same to us.