Will Britain's Toads Be Saved from Traffic and Terrible Decline?

It's a Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a market town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Drop in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest study led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a creature that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decrease is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in most of areas in Britain," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it indicates that things are not as they should be."

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

The Threat from Roads

Though the research didn't examine the reasons for the drop, cars is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on UK roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be content to mate "if you left out a small container," toads favor large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs allows they can travel further to find them – often long distances. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Habits

Appropriately enough, the first toads start their journey for a mate around February 14th, but others travel as far as spring, until it gets night and moving through the night. During that time, toads begin migrating from where they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

One volunteer, who grew up in the area and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a child, notes that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their route crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – preventing a next generation of toads from being born.

Rescue Groups Across the United Kingdom

Finding many of toad carcasses on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the formation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups collect toads and transport them over streets in containers, as well as counting the number of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols usually work during the migration season, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this means they can overlook numbers of toadlets, which, having existed as spawn and then juveniles, exit their ponds 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 "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to get data on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

In contrast to many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out throughout the year – not nightly, but whenever weather are damp, or if someone has reported about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on duty, they concede it is "not a toady night" – toad hibernation season has begun and it's been a arid period – but a few of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the patrol manager, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to inspect beneath some wood.

Family Participation

The family duo became part of the group a while back. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his parent started to search for things they could do jointly to protect native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur tells me – so when the group was seeking a fresh coordinator recently, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A clip he created, urging the local council to block a street through a protected area during breeding time, swung the decision the group's way. After a year of campaigning, the council approved an "restricted access" restriction between evening and morning from late winter through to April. Most drivers duly avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

A few cars go past when I'm out on duty and we find some victims as a consequence – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his palms. Yet in spite of the team's best efforts to show me a toad, the local population has clearly settled down for the colder months. 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 near-impossible at this season.

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 look for toads in a famous site, considered the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "No toads." However, in late winter, he tells me, the team expects to help around ten thousand adult toads across the road.

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 evenings is remarkable," notes an expert. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since vehicles is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has meant extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to wake up from their hibernation more often, disrupting the resource preservation crucial to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Experts are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," but "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads do have an significant part in the food chain, eating pretty much any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn feeding a variety of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a wide range of other species."

Cultural Importance

An additional motive to try to keep toads present is their "important cultural value," adds an specialist. Legends and tales around toads date back {centuries|hundred