🔗 Share this article

It is Friday night at half past seven, but instead of heading to the pub or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These committed people give up their evenings to safeguard the local toad population.

An Alarming Drop in Population

The Bufo bufo is growing more rare. A latest research conducted by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decline is labeled "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "ought to live successfully in the majority of habitats in Britain," so if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

Toad populations across the UK have declined by almost 50% since the 1980s

The Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't cover the causes for the drop, traffic is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads annually – in other words, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be content to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to reach them – often long distances. They usually stick to their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Habits

Appropriately enough, the first toads begin their quest for a mate around Valentine's day, but some move as late as spring, waiting until it gets night and travelling through the night. During that time, toads start moving from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, who was raised in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a child, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their path crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the creation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These teams pick up toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as counting the quantity of toads they encounter and advocating for other safety solutions, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers tend to operate during the migration season, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this means they can miss groups of toadlets, which, having been spawn and then tadpoles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their carcasses can be tallied.

Annual Work

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out year-round – not nightly, but when conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has reported about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on duty, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their area with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. After for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Family Participation

The family duo joined the patrol a year and a half ago. The teenager loves all things nature-related and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do jointly to protect local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old entrepreneur tells me – so when the group was looking for a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the group. A video he made, imploring the municipal authority to block a street through a nature reserve during migration season, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the authority approved an "restricted access" rule between evening and morning from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

A few vehicles go past when I'm out on duty and we discover some victims as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I wouldn't have had any better success elsewhere in the country – all the patrol groups I contact clarify that it's very difficult at this time of year.

The group expects to help approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road

A message I receive from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, considered the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in late winter, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately ten thousand mature amphibians over the street.

Effectiveness and Challenges

How much of a difference can these organizations truly achieve? "The reality that people are doing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an expert. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – not least because traffic is not the only threat.

Additional Threats

The global warming has meant longer periods of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have led to an rise of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to wake up from their hibernation more frequently, interfering with the resource preservation crucial to their life cycle. Loss of environment – especially the loss of big water bodies – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, eating pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn feeding a number of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Improving situations for toads – ie creating more ponds, conserving woodland and constructing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of other species."

Cultural Importance

An additional motive to try to keep toads around is their "historical significance," notes an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred