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It's Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than going out or watching a film, I've taken a train to a town in the countryside to meet up with volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their evenings to protect the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Population

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest research led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is labeled "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "ought to live successfully in most of areas in Britain," so if even they are struggling to persist, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

Since 1985, Britain's toad numbers have nearly been cut in half

The Threat from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the reasons for the decline, cars certainly plays a part. Calculations indicate that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be content to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads favor big bodies of water. Their capacity to remain away from water for more time than frogs means they can travel further to find them – sometimes long distances. They tend to follow their ancestral migration routes – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as far as April, waiting until it gets dark and moving after sunset. During that period, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who was raised 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 have an orgy." If their path happens to a street, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Across the UK

Seeing many of toad carcasses on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams across the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a countrywide program. These teams collect toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers usually work during the breeding period, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this implies they can miss groups of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then tadpoles, exit their ponds over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their small stature – just one or two centimetres wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being hit "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.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not nightly, but when 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 duty, they admit it is "not a toady night" – toad hibernation season has started and it's been a dry day – but a few of the volunteers willingly accept to patrol their area with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can locate any toads tonight, that pair will spot one," says the patrol manager, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some wood.

Community Participation

The mother and son joined the patrol a while back. The youngster loves all things nature-related and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for things they could do together to help local wildlife. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner explains – so when the team was seeking a new manager recently, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the organization. A clip he created, imploring the local council to block a road through a protected area during migration season, swung the decision the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the authority agreed to an "access-only" restriction between evening and morning from late winter through to spring. Most drivers duly avoided the route.

Additional Species and Difficulties

Several vehicles go past when I'm out on patrol and we discover some victims as a result – no toads, but several crushed salamanders. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his palms. Yet despite the team's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the native community has obviously settled down for the colder months. It seems that I wouldn't have had any more luck elsewhere in the nation – all the patrol groups I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

One email I get from another volunteer, who has kindly taken the trouble to look for toads in a famous site, considered the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately 10,000 adult toads over the street.

Impact and Limitations

What level of impact can these groups truly achieve? "The fact that people are performing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an researcher. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The global warming has meant extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have led to an increase of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to wake up from their dormancy more frequently, disrupting the resource preservation crucial to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Experts are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," but "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads play an significant part in the ecosystem, consuming almost any invertebrates or small animals they can swallow and in turn sustaining a number of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "benefits for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Cultural Importance

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