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

It is Friday night at 7:30, but rather than heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a market town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a toad patrol. These dedicated individuals give up their evenings to protect the local toad population.

An Alarming Drop in Population

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly rare. A latest study conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is described as "concerning" by researchers. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well in most of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

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

The Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the reasons for the drop, cars is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are crushed on UK roads annually – in other words, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads favor big bodies of water. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can travel further to find them – often long distances. They usually follow their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians start their journey for a mate around Valentine's day, but others travel as far as April, waiting until it gets dark and moving after sunset. During that time, toads start moving from wherever they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a boy, notes that "They've got just one focus: to go and mate." If their path happens to a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Finding hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the creation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they find and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their carcasses can be tallied.

Year-Round Efforts

In contrast to most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out year-round – not nightly, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if a member has posted about a amphibian spotting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on duty, they admit it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but several of the volunteers gamely agree to patrol their area with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can locate any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, 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 barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some logs.

Family Involvement

The mother and son became part of the group a year and a half ago. The teenager adores all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, so his mother 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 explains – so when the team was looking for a fresh coordinator lately, she volunteered for the role.

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video 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 agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between evening and morning from February through to April. The majority of motorists duly avoided the road.

Additional Species and Challenges

Several vehicles go by when I'm out on patrol and we discover some victims as a result – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We spot one living newt as well, and the teenager is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the native community has obviously settled down for the winter. It appears that I wouldn't have had any more luck elsewhere in the country – all the patrol groups I reach out to explain that it's near-impossible at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, considered the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, reaches me with the subject line: "No toads." However, in late winter, he informs me, the group expects to help around 10,000 mature amphibians over the street.

Impact and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is quite extraordinary," says an expert. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to emerge from their dormancy more often, disrupting the energy conservation crucial to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – especially the disappearance of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, eating pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of predators, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, conserving woodland and installing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to try to keep toads present is their "important cultural value," adds an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred