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It is a Friday night at half past seven, but instead of going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in the countryside to join volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These committed people sacrifice their nights to safeguard the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Drop in Population

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly rare. A latest study led by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is labeled "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't need very specific conditions" and "ought to live successfully in the majority of areas in the UK," 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 Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the reasons for the drop, cars certainly plays a part. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on British roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads favor big bodies of water. Their ability to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – often long distances. They usually follow their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Habits

Appropriately enough, the first toads begin their quest for a mate around Valentine's day, but others travel as late as spring, until it gets dark and travelling through the night. During that time, toads start moving 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, notes that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their route crosses a road, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would be lost – preventing a next generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Across the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the formation of rescue teams across the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm 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 adult toads are lost, their remains can be counted.

Annual Work

In contrast to most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not nightly, but when conditions are damp, or if a member has posted about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on duty, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a arid period – but several of the volunteers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the patrol manager, indicating 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 check under some wood.

Family Participation

The mother and son joined the patrol a while back. The youngster adores all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his mother started to search for activities 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 seeking a new manager lately, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A clip he made, urging the municipal authority to block a street through a protected area during breeding time, swung the decision the group's way. After a year of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" rule between evening and morning from February through to April. Most drivers respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

A few vehicles go by when I'm out on patrol and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the local population has clearly gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any better success elsewhere in the country – all the patrol groups I contact clarify that it's very difficult at this time of year.

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

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "No toads." However, in February and March, he informs me, the group expects to help around 10,000 adult toads over the street.

Impact and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups truly achieve? "The reality that volunteers are performing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," says an researcher. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – not least because traffic is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which create the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads consume, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to wake up from their hibernation more often, disrupting the resource preservation crucial to their existence. Habitat destruction – especially the disappearance of big water bodies – is another menace.

Researchers are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," but "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an important role in the food chain, eating pretty much any small creatures or small animals they can swallow and in turn sustaining a variety of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "benefits for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Historical Importance

An additional motive to try to keep toads present is their "important cultural value," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads date back {centuries|hundred