Can the UK's Common Toads Be Saved from Traffic and Terrible Decline?

It is a Friday evening at 7:30, but rather than going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their evenings to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Decline in Population

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly rare. A latest research conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is labeled "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in the majority of areas in the UK," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the causes for the decline, traffic certainly plays a part. Calculations suggest that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads annually – in other words, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be content to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their capacity to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – sometimes hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

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

One volunteer, who was raised in the area and has been trying to protect its amphibians since he was a child, explains 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 be lost – stopping a next generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the UK

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on local roads "resonates deeply 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 collect toads and carry them across roads in containers, as well as recording the quantity of toads they encounter and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols tend to operate during the migration season, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable 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 "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their carcasses can be counted.

Annual Work

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if a member has reported about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they concede it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can locate any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the patrol manager, pointing to 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 barbed wire fence to check under some logs.

Community Involvement

The mother and son became part of the patrol a year and a half ago. The teenager loves all things wildlife and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to search for things they could do together to help native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur tells me – so when the group was looking for a fresh coordinator lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the group. A clip he created, urging the local council to block a road through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the council approved an "access-only" rule between 5pm and 5am from February through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several vehicles go by when I'm out on patrol and we find some casualties as a consequence – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to show me a toad, the native community has clearly gone dormant for the colder months. It appears that I couldn't have found any more luck elsewhere in the nation – all the patrol groups I reach out to explain that it's very difficult at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has kindly made the effort to check for toads in a noted location, considered the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "None found." However, in February and March, he tells me, the team expects to help approximately ten thousand adult toads over the street.

Effectiveness and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups actually make? "The fact that people are doing this regularly on chilly, wet and miserable evenings is quite extraordinary," notes an researcher. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has resulted in extended spells of drought, which create the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to wake up from their hibernation more often, disrupting the energy conservation crucial to their existence. Loss of environment – particularly the loss of big water bodies – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an significant part in the ecosystem, 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. Improving situations for toads – such as building water habitats, conserving woodland and installing toad tunnels – "benefits for a whole bunch of other species."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to work to preserve toads around is their "important cultural value," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads date back {centuries|hundred