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It is Friday evening at 7:30, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their evenings to safeguard the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest study conducted by an wildlife conservation group showed that the UK toad population have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well in the majority of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Danger from Roads

Though the study didn't cover the reasons for the drop, traffic certainly plays a part. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on UK roads annually – that is, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be content to mate "if you left out a small container," toads favor big bodies of water. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs allows they can travel further to reach them – sometimes long distances. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for mature amphibians to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as far as spring, until it gets night and travelling through the night. During that time, toads start moving from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a boy, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and mate." If their path crosses a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would be lost – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Throughout the UK

Seeing many of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the creation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These teams pick up toads and transport 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 underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers usually work during the migration season, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then juveniles, exit their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in late summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being hit "essentially crushes them," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out throughout the year – not nightly, but when conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has posted about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on duty, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will spot 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 glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some wood.

Community Participation

The family duo joined the group a year and a half ago. The teenager adores 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 protect native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur explains – so when the team was seeking a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has played an important role in the group. A video he made, imploring the local council to close a road through a protected area during breeding time, swung the decision the team's way. After a year of lobbying, the council agreed to an "access-only" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several cars go by when I'm out on patrol and we find some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the local population has clearly settled down for the winter. It seems that I wouldn't have had any more luck elsewhere in the country – all the patrol groups I contact explain that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

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

A message I get from a different helper, who has kindly taken the trouble 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 late winter, he informs me, the group plans to assist around 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Impact and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are doing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable evenings is quite extraordinary," notes an expert. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – not least because traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which create the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to wake up from their dormancy more often, interfering with the energy conservation crucial 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," however "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 tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a variety of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing situations for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Historical Importance

Another reason to work to preserve toads present is their "historical significance," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads date back {centuries|hundred