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It is a Friday night at half past seven, but instead of heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their evenings to safeguard the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Population

The common toad is growing more rare. A recent study led by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Observing a species that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "ought to live quite well in most of habitats in Britain," so if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Traffic

Though the research didn't cover the reasons for the decline, cars certainly plays a part. Estimates suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are crushed on UK roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually follow their ancestral migration routes – it's common for adult toads to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians start their journey for a mate around February 14th, but some move as far as spring, until it gets dark and moving after sunset. During that period, toads start moving from where they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who was raised in the region and has been working to save its toad population since he was a child, notes that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their route crosses a street, they could all get run over, and that mating period would be lost – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Rescue Groups Across the United Kingdom

Finding many of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams throughout the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a national initiative. These teams pick up toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as recording the quantity of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the migration season, when toad crossings 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 irregular timetable in the end of summer. Because of their small stature – just one or two centimetres wide – "they can get obliterated by vehicles." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's more difficult to get data on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their remains can be counted.

Annual Work

In contrast to many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth year of functioning, 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 messaging app. 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 search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the patrol manager, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some logs.

Community Involvement

The mother and son became part of the group a while back. The teenager loves all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, 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 middle-aged entrepreneur tells me – so when the team was looking for a fresh coordinator lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the group. A video he made, urging the local council to close a street 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 evening and morning from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

Several cars go by when I'm out on duty and we discover some victims as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the team's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the local population has obviously gone dormant for the winter. It seems that I wouldn't have had any more luck anywhere else in the country – all the patrol groups I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this season.

This team anticipates assisting around ten thousand mature toads over the street

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has generously taken the trouble to look for toads in a noted location, considered the biggest tracked toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist around ten thousand mature amphibians over the street.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these groups actually make? "The reality that volunteers are doing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable late nights is remarkable," notes an researcher. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – not least because traffic is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The global warming has meant extended spells of drought, which create the poor environment for some of the animals that toads consume, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have led to an increase of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to emerge from their hibernation more frequently, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Loss of environment – particularly the loss of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," however "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads play an significant part in the ecosystem, consuming almost any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Enhancing situations for toads – ie creating more ponds, protecting forests and constructing toad tunnels – "benefits for a whole bunch of other species."

Historical Importance

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