It's a Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than going out or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in the countryside to meet up with local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their nights to safeguard the native amphibian community.
A Worrying Decline in Numbers
The Bufo bufo is growing more rare. A latest study led by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a creature that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decline is labeled "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "ought to live successfully in most of habitats in the UK," 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 Danger from Traffic
Though the research didn't cover the causes for the drop, cars is a major factor. Calculations suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads favor big bodies of water. Their ability to stay out of water for longer than frogs allows they can journey farther to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to return to their natal pond to mate.
Migration Habits
Fittingly, the initial amphibians start their journey for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as far as April, until it gets night and moving through the night. During that time, toads start moving from wherever they have been overwintering "all pretty much at the same time."
One volunteer, who grew up in the region and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a boy, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and mate." If their path happens to a street, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – preventing a next generation of toads from being produced.
Rescue Groups Throughout the UK
Seeing many of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These teams pick up toads and transport them across roads in buckets, as well as counting the number of toads they encounter and advocating for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.
Patrols tend to operate during the migration season, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can miss groups of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then tadpoles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in late summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their remains can be counted.
Year-Round Work
In contrast to many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out throughout the year – not every night, but whenever weather are damp, or if someone has posted about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on duty, they concede it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a arid period – 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 find one," says the group coordinator, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to inspect beneath some wood.
Family Participation
The family duo became part of the patrol a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do jointly to help local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner tells me – so when the group was seeking a new manager recently, she decided to step up.
The youth, too, has played an important role in the group. A clip he created, urging the municipal authority to close a road through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the council approved 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
A few vehicles go past when I'm out on duty and we discover some casualties as a result – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the teenager is particularly pleased to see a daddy longlegs, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the group's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the local population has clearly gone dormant for the winter. It appears that I wouldn't have had any more luck elsewhere in the nation – all the rescue teams I reach out to 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 look for toads in a famous site, thought to be 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 approximately ten thousand mature amphibians across the road.
Effectiveness and Challenges
How much of a difference can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are performing this regularly on chilly, wet and miserable late nights is remarkable," notes an expert. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because vehicles is not the only threat.
Other Dangers
The climate crisis has meant longer periods of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have led to an increase of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to emerge from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation crucial to their existence. Loss of environment – especially the disappearance of big water bodies – is another menace.
Experts are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," but "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads do have an important role in the ecosystem, eating pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can swallow and in turn sustaining a number of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, conserving woodland and constructing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a wide range of other species."
Cultural Importance
Another reason to work to preserve toads around is their "historical significance," adds an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred
