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It is Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than going out or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in the countryside to join local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their evenings to safeguard the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The Bufo bufo is growing more rare. A latest research conducted by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Seeing a creature that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is labeled "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "should be able to live successfully in the majority of habitats in Britain," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

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

The Danger from Roads

Though the study didn't examine the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer 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 traditional paths – it's common for adult toads to go back to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Fittingly, the first toads begin their quest for a mate around Valentine's day, but some move as far as April, waiting until it gets night and travelling through the night. During that period, toads begin migrating from where they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been trying to protect its amphibians since he was a child, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and mate." If their route happens to a road, they could all get run over, and that mating period would be lost – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Across the UK

Seeing many of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the formation of toad patrols throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These teams collect toads and transport them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can overlook numbers of toadlets, which, having been spawn 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 can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their carcasses can be tallied.

Annual Work

Unlike many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever weather are damp, or if a member has reported about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has begun and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their route with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can locate any toads tonight, that pair will spot one," says the patrol manager, indicating her teenage child and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Community Involvement

The family duo became part of the group a while back. The youngster loves all things nature-related and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do together to help local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner tells me – so when the group was seeking a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

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

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several vehicles go past when I'm out on patrol and we discover some casualties as a result – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the team's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It appears that I wouldn't have had any more luck elsewhere in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

A message I get from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the biggest tracked toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team expects to help approximately 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Impact and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are performing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an researcher. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads consume, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have led to an increase of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to emerge from their hibernation more often, interfering with the resource preservation crucial to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

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 food chain, eating pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn feeding a variety of predators, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – such as creating more ponds, protecting forests and constructing toad tunnels – "benefits for a wide range of other species."

Historical Importance

Another reason to try to keep toads around is their "historical significance," adds an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred