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It's Friday night at half past seven, but instead of going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a market town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their evenings to protect the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Population

The Bufo bufo is growing more uncommon. A latest research led by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "should be able to live successfully in the majority of habitats in the UK," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Danger from Roads

Though the study didn't cover the reasons for the drop, traffic is a major factor. Calculations suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on British roads annually – in other words, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads favor large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs allows they can journey farther to find them – often long distances. They tend to follow their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Fittingly, the first toads begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as late as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that period, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the region and has been trying to protect its amphibians since he was a child, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and mate." If their path happens to a street, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Across the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams across the UK – 274 groups are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups pick up toads and transport them across roads in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers usually work during the migration season, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this implies they can miss groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in late 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 more difficult to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their carcasses can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out throughout the year – not every night, but when conditions are warm and wet, or if a member has reported about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on duty, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but a few of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their area with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the group coordinator, indicating her teenage child and the experienced member. After for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to check under some wood.

Family Involvement

The family duo joined the group a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for things they could do together to protect native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner explains – so when the group was looking for a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video he made, urging the local council to close a street through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" rule between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to April. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

Several vehicles go by when I'm out on duty and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which moves in his palms. Yet despite the group's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously settled down for the winter. It seems that I wouldn't have had any more luck anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

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

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a noted location, thought to be the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, reaches me with the subject line: "None found." However, in February and March, he tells me, the team plans to assist around 10,000 adult toads over the street.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these groups truly achieve? "The reality that people are doing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is quite extraordinary," notes an researcher. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since traffic is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has meant extended spells of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads consume, 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 emerge from their dormancy more often, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – particularly the loss of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "It's important in just their presence." But toads do have an significant part in the ecosystem, eating almost any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn sustaining a variety of predators, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – such as creating more ponds, conserving woodland and installing toad tunnels – "benefits for a wide range of other species."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to work to preserve toads around is their "historical significance," notes an expert. Legends and tales around toads date back {centuries|hundred