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It's a Friday night at 7:30, but rather than heading to the pub or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with local helpers from a toad patrol. These committed people sacrifice their evenings to protect the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The common toad is growing more rare. A latest study conducted by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is labeled "concerning" by researchers. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "should be able to live successfully in most of areas in Britain," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

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

The Threat from Roads

Though the study didn't examine the reasons for the decline, cars is a major factor. Estimates indicate that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "with just a small container," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their traditional paths – it's common for adult toads to return to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a mate around February 14th, but some move as late as spring, until it gets dark and moving after sunset. During that period, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, who grew up in the region and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a boy, notes that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their path crosses a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Finding hundreds of dead toads on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the creation of toad patrols across the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups pick up toads and transport them across roads in buckets, as well as recording the number of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers usually work during the migration season, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having existed as spawn and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in the end of summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their remains can be counted.

Annual Work

Unlike most patrols, one local team, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out throughout the year – not every night, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has reported about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on duty, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has begun and it's been a dry day – but a few of the volunteers willingly accept to patrol their route with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will spot one," says the group coordinator, indicating her 14-year-old son and the longtime volunteer. After for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to inspect beneath some logs.

Community Participation

The family duo became part of the group a year and a half ago. The teenager loves all things wildlife and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his mother started to look for activities they could do together to help native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner explains – so when the group was looking for a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the group. A clip he made, urging the local council to block a street through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the authority approved an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from February through to April. Most drivers duly avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

A few cars go by when I'm out on duty and we find some victims as a result – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited 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 native community has clearly gone dormant for the winter. It seems that I couldn't have found any more luck elsewhere in the nation – all the patrol groups I contact explain 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 get from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, reaches me with the subject line: "No toads." However, in February and March, he tells me, the group plans to assist approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road.

Effectiveness and Limitations

How much of a difference can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are doing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable late nights is remarkable," says an expert. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because vehicles is not the only threat.

Additional Threats

The climate crisis has meant longer periods of dry weather, which cause the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to wake up from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation crucial to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – 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 having these animals around." But toads do have an significant part in the ecosystem, consuming pretty much any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a variety of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving situations for toads – such as creating more ponds, conserving woodland and installing amphibian passages – "benefits for a whole bunch of other species."

Historical Importance

Another reason to try to keep toads around is their "historical significance," adds an expert. Myths and folklore around toads go back {centuries|hundred