🔗 Share this article

It's Friday evening at half past seven, but instead of going out or watching a film, I've taken a train to a town in the countryside to meet up with volunteers from a toad patrol. These dedicated individuals give up their evenings to protect the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Drop in Numbers

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly rare. A recent research conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the UK toad population have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Observing a creature that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "should be able to live successfully in most of areas in the UK," so if even they are struggling to persist, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Traffic

Though the research didn't examine the causes for the decline, traffic certainly plays a part. Calculations suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on British roads annually – that is, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their ability to remain away from water for more time than frogs allows they can journey farther to reach them – sometimes hundreds of metres. They tend to follow their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Fittingly, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a mate around Valentine's day, but others travel as far as spring, until it gets dark and moving after sunset. 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 amphibians since he was a child, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their route happens to a road, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Finding hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups pick up toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as counting the quantity of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols tend to operate during the breeding period, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this means they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then tadpoles, leave their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they can get obliterated by vehicles." And as being hit "essentially crushes them," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Work

Unlike many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out throughout the year – not every night, but when weather are warm and wet, or if a member has posted about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but a few of the volunteers gamely agree to walk up and down their route with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the longtime volunteer. 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 logs.

Family Participation

The mother and son became part of the patrol a year and a half ago. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, so his mother started to look for activities they could do together to protect native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner explains – so when the team was looking for a new manager recently, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has played an important role in the organization. A video he made, imploring the municipal authority to block a road through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the council agreed to an "restricted access" rule between evening and morning from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists duly avoided the route.

Additional Species and Challenges

Several cars go by when I'm out on duty and we find some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to show me a toad, the native community has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any better success elsewhere in the country – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's near-impossible at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in February and March, he tells me, the group plans to assist approximately ten thousand mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

How much of a difference can these groups truly achieve? "The fact that people are doing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is quite extraordinary," notes an expert. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The global warming has meant extended spells of drought, which cause the wrong conditions for some of the animals that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have led to an increase of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to wake up from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation crucial to their existence. Loss of environment – especially the loss of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Experts are "often concerned about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," but "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads do have an significant part in the ecosystem, eating pretty much any small creatures or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a variety of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to try to keep toads around is their "historical significance," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred