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It's Friday night at half past seven, but rather than going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in the countryside to meet up with local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Drop in Population

The common toad is growing more rare. A latest research led by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the UK toad population have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decline is labeled "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well in most of habitats in the UK," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

Toad populations across the UK have declined by almost 50% since the 1980s

The Threat from Traffic

Though the research didn't examine the reasons for the drop, cars is a major factor. Estimates indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on British roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be content to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads favor large ponds. Their ability to remain away from water for longer than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – sometimes hundreds of metres. They tend to stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's common for adult toads to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a partner around February 14th, but others travel as far as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that time, toads begin migrating from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, who was raised in the area and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a child, explains 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 next generation of toads from being born.

Rescue Groups Across the UK

Seeing many of dead toads on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the formation of toad patrols across the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a national initiative. These teams pick up toads and transport them across roads in buckets, as well as recording the quantity of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the migration season, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this implies they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, leave their ponds over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to get data on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their remains can be tallied.

Annual Work

In contrast to most patrols, one local team, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out throughout the year – not nightly, but when conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has posted about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a arid period – but several of the volunteers gamely agree to walk up and down their area with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can locate any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the group coordinator, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some logs.

Family Involvement

The family duo joined the patrol a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his mother started to search for things they could do jointly to protect local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner explains – so when the group was seeking a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video he created, imploring the municipal authority to close a road through a nature reserve during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a year of campaigning, the council agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to spring. Most drivers respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Challenges

A few vehicles go by when I'm out on patrol and we discover some casualties as a result – no amphibians, 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 palms. Yet in spite of the group's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the native community has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. 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

A message I get from another volunteer, who has kindly taken the trouble to check for toads in a noted location, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Limitations

How much of a difference can these organizations truly achieve? "The reality that volunteers are doing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable evenings is quite extraordinary," says an researcher. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – partly since traffic is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which create the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads consume, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to emerge from their dormancy more often, interfering with the resource preservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – especially the disappearance of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads do have an important role in the ecosystem, consuming pretty much any small creatures or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a variety of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as creating more ponds, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to work to preserve toads around is their "historical significance," adds an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads go back {centuries|hundred