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It's Friday evening at 7:30, but instead of heading to the pub or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These committed people sacrifice their nights to protect the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly rare. A recent research led by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is labeled "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "should be able to live successfully in the majority of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "with just a small container," toads favor large ponds. Their capacity to remain away from water for longer than frogs allows they can journey farther to find them – sometimes long distances. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to return to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as far as spring, waiting until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that time, toads start moving from where they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

One volunteer, who grew up in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a boy, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their path crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that mating period would be lost – stopping a new generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Across the UK

Seeing many of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams across the UK – 274 groups are officially listed with a countrywide program. These teams pick up toads and carry them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the number of toads they encounter and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers tend to operate during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this implies they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then juveniles, leave their water habitats over an irregular timetable 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 hit "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their carcasses can be counted.

Annual Efforts

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out throughout the year – not nightly, but whenever conditions are damp, or if a member has posted about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they concede it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a arid period – but a few of the volunteers willingly accept to patrol their area with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the patrol manager, indicating 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 scaled a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some logs.

Community Involvement

The mother and son 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 mother started to look for things they could do together to help local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner explains – so when the group was looking for a new manager lately, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A clip he made, imploring the local council to close a street through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the council agreed to an "restricted access" rule between 5pm and 5am from February through to April. Most drivers respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

A few cars go past when I'm out on duty and we find some victims as a result – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his hands. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the native community has obviously settled down for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any better success anywhere else in the country – all the rescue teams I reach out to clarify that it's near-impossible at this season.

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

A message I get from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a noted location, thought to be the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the group plans to assist approximately 10,000 adult toads over the street.

Impact and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups truly achieve? "The reality that people are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is quite extraordinary," says an researcher. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – partly since vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has meant extended spells of dry weather, which create the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to wake up from their hibernation more frequently, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their existence. Loss of environment – especially the disappearance of big water bodies – is another menace.

Researchers are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an important role in the food chain, consuming pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of other species."

Historical Importance

Another reason to work to preserve toads around is their "important cultural value," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred