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It is Friday night at 7:30, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a market town in the countryside to meet up with volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their nights to protect the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The common toad is growing more uncommon. A recent research led by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in most of areas in the UK," so if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that things are not as they should be."

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

The Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't cover the reasons for the decline, traffic is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads every year – that is, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be content to mate "with just a small container," toads favor big bodies of water. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs allows they can journey farther to find them – sometimes long distances. They tend to follow their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to return to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Fittingly, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but others travel as far as spring, waiting until it gets night and moving through the night. During that time, toads start moving from wherever they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

One volunteer, who was raised in the region and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a child, 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 mating period would be lost – stopping a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as counting the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers usually work during the migration season, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can overlook numbers of toadlets, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, leave their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in late summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their carcasses can be counted.

Annual Work

In contrast to many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out year-round – not nightly, but when conditions are damp, or if someone has posted about a amphibian spotting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on duty, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has begun and it's been a dry day – but a few of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their area with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the patrol manager, pointing to 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 scaled a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some logs.

Family Involvement

The family duo became part of the group a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his mother started to look for things they could do jointly to help local wildlife. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur explains – so when the group was looking for a new manager recently, 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 close a road through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a year of campaigning, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" rule between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

A few vehicles go past when I'm out on duty and we find 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 moves in his palms. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any more luck anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's very difficult at this time of year.

This team anticipates assisting around ten thousand mature toads over the street

One email I receive from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a noted location, thought to be the biggest tracked toad population in the UK, reaches me with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he tells me, the group plans to assist approximately 10,000 adult toads over the street.

Impact and Limitations

What level of impact can these organizations actually make? "The reality that volunteers are performing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is quite extraordinary," says an researcher. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Additional Threats

The global warming has resulted in longer periods of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to emerge from their hibernation more often, disrupting the energy conservation crucial to their life cycle. Loss of environment – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Experts are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on wildlife," however "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads play an important role in the ecosystem, eating almost any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a variety of predators, such as wildlife. Improving situations for toads – such as building water habitats, conserving woodland and constructing amphibian passages – "benefits for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Historical Significance

An additional motive to work to preserve toads present is their "important cultural value," adds an expert. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred