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It's a Friday evening at half past seven, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These committed people give up their nights to protect the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Numbers

The common toad is growing more rare. A latest research led by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is labeled "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't need very specific conditions" and "ought to live successfully in most of areas in Britain," meaning 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 Roads

Though the research didn't cover the reasons for the drop, cars is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are crushed on UK roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their ability to remain away from water for longer than frogs allows they can travel further to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's common for mature amphibians to go back to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Habits

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

One volunteer, who grew up in the region and has been working to save its toad population since he was a boy, explains 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 be lost – preventing a next generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Throughout the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the formation of toad patrols throughout the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a countrywide program. These groups pick up toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this implies they can miss numbers of young toads, which, having existed as spawn and then tadpoles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their remains can be tallied.

Annual Efforts

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out throughout the year – not every night, but when conditions are damp, or if someone has posted about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they concede it is "not a toady night" – toad hibernation season has started and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their area with me and search for any toads. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some wood.

Family Involvement

The family duo became part of the group a year and a half ago. The teenager loves all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, so his mother started to look for activities they could do jointly to protect local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur explains – so when the group was looking for a new manager recently, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video he created, imploring the local council to close a street through a protected area during migration season, swung the decision the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the council approved an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from February through to spring. Most drivers duly avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several cars go by when I'm out on duty and we find some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but three squashed newts. We see one living newt as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his palms. Yet despite the group's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the native community has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It appears that I couldn't have found any more luck elsewhere in the country – all the rescue teams I contact explain that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

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

A message I receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "None found." However, in late winter, he informs me, the team expects to help around 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

How much of a difference can these organizations truly achieve? "The reality that people are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is remarkable," says an expert. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – not least because vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in longer periods of drought, which create the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads consume, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to wake up from their hibernation more frequently, disrupting the energy conservation vital to their life cycle. Loss of environment – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," but "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads play an significant part in the ecosystem, consuming almost any invertebrates or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a number of predators, such as wildlife. Improving situations for toads – ie creating more ponds, conserving woodland and installing amphibian passages – "benefits for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Historical Importance

An additional motive to work to preserve toads present is their "important cultural value," adds an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred