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

It's a Friday evening at 7:30, but instead of heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their nights to safeguard the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Population

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A recent study led by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Seeing a creature that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is labeled "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live successfully in the majority of areas in the UK," so if even they are struggling to persist, "it kind of suggests 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 reasons for the drop, traffic certainly plays a part. Estimates indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on British roads annually – that is, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which might be happy to mate "if you left out a small container," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can travel further to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually follow their traditional paths – it's typical for adult toads to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Habits

Fittingly, the first toads 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 wherever they have been overwintering "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a child, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their path crosses a street, they could all get run over, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Across the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams across the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the number of toads they encounter and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Patrols tend to operate during the migration season, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this means they can miss numbers of toadlets, which, having been eggs and then tadpoles, leave their water habitats over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to get data on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their remains can be tallied.

Annual Efforts

Unlike many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has reported about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they concede it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a arid period – but a few of the helpers willingly accept to patrol their area with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can locate any toads tonight, that pair will spot one," says the patrol manager, pointing to her teenage child and the longtime volunteer. After for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to inspect beneath some logs.

Family Involvement

The mother and son joined the group a while back. The youngster adores all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his mother started to look for things they could do jointly to help native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old entrepreneur explains – so when the team was looking for a new manager lately, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the organization. A clip he made, imploring the municipal authority to block a street through a protected area during migration season, swung the decision the team's way. After a year of lobbying, the authority approved an "access-only" rule between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to April. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

A few cars go past when I'm out on patrol and we find some victims as a result – no toads, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his hands. Yet despite the group's best efforts 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 anywhere else in the country – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's very difficult at this season.

The group expects to help approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road

A message I get from a different helper, who has kindly made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, considered the biggest tracked toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "No toads." However, in February and March, he tells me, the group plans to assist approximately ten thousand adult toads over the street.

Effectiveness and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups actually make? "The fact that volunteers are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is remarkable," says an expert. "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 vehicles is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The climate crisis has resulted in longer periods of drought, which cause the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads consume, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have led to an increase of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to emerge from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation crucial to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on wildlife," but "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, eating pretty much any small creatures or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – ie creating more ponds, conserving woodland and constructing amphibian passages – "benefits for a wide range of other species."

Historical Significance

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