🔗 Share this article

It is Friday night at 7:30, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a market town in the countryside to meet up with volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Drop in Numbers

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly rare. A latest study led by an wildlife conservation group showed that the UK toad population have almost halved since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't need very specific conditions" and "should be able to live quite well in most of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it indicates that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Traffic

Though the study didn't cover the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are crushed on British roads annually – that is, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be content to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads favor large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to find them – sometimes hundreds of metres. They tend to stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Fittingly, the initial amphibians start their journey for a partner around Valentine's day, but others travel as late as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that time, toads begin migrating from where they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who was raised in the area and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a boy, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their route crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Throughout the UK

Finding hundreds of toad carcasses on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and carry them across roads in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they find and advocating for other safety solutions, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can miss groups of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their remains can be tallied.

Year-Round Work

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out throughout the year – not every night, but whenever weather are warm and wet, or if a member has reported about a amphibian spotting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on duty, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a arid period – but a few of the volunteers gamely agree to walk up and down their route with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will spot one," says the patrol manager, pointing to her teenage child and the experienced member. After for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some logs.

Family Involvement

The mother and son became part of the patrol a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his mother started to search for activities they could do jointly 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 fresh coordinator recently, she volunteered for the role.

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video he made, urging the local council to block a road through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a year of campaigning, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several cars go past when I'm out on patrol and we find some victims as a result – no toads, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the native community has clearly gone dormant for the winter. It appears that I couldn't have found any better success anywhere else in the country – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's very difficult at this season.

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

A message I receive from a different helper, who has kindly made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, considered the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations truly achieve? "The reality that volunteers are performing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable evenings is quite extraordinary," notes an expert. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – partly since vehicles is not the only threat.

Additional Threats

The climate crisis has meant extended spells of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to wake up from their hibernation more often, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," however "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads play an important role in the ecosystem, consuming almost any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a variety of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Improving situations for toads – ie creating more ponds, conserving woodland and constructing toad tunnels – "benefits for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

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