🔗 Share this article

It is Friday night at 7:30, but instead of going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their evenings to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Decline in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly rare. A recent study led by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decrease is labeled "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well in the majority of areas in Britain," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

Since 1985, Britain's toad numbers have nearly been cut in half

The Threat from Roads

Though the research didn't cover the reasons for the drop, traffic certainly plays a part. Calculations suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are crushed on UK roads every year – in other words, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads favor big bodies of water. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs allows they can travel further to find them – sometimes long distances. They usually follow their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Appropriately enough, the first toads begin their quest for a partner around February 14th, but some move as late as April, until it gets night and travelling through the night. During that time, toads begin migrating from where they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been working to save its toad population since he was a child, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their route crosses a street, they could all get run over, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Across the UK

Finding many of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols across the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a national initiative. These teams pick up toads and transport them across roads in containers, as well as counting the number of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Volunteers usually work during the migration season, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this means they can miss numbers of toadlets, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, leave their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their remains can be counted.

Annual Work

In contrast to many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever 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 admit it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but several of the volunteers gamely agree to walk up and down their route with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can locate any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to inspect beneath some wood.

Community Involvement

The family duo joined the patrol a while back. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to search for things they could do jointly to help native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur explains – so when the group was seeking a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the organization. A clip he created, urging the municipal authority to close a road through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the authority agreed to an "access-only" rule between 5pm and 5am from February through to April. Most drivers respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

A few cars go by when I'm out on patrol and we find some casualties as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the team's best efforts to let me see a toad, the native community has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I wouldn't have had any better success anywhere else in the country – all the patrol groups I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this season.

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

A message I get from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he tells me, the team expects to help around 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 regularly on chilly, wet and miserable late nights is quite extraordinary," notes an expert. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because traffic is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of drought, which create the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to emerge from their dormancy more often, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – especially the loss of big water bodies – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, eating pretty much any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn sustaining a number of predators, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and constructing amphibian passages – "benefits for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

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