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It's Friday night at half past seven, but instead of heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their nights to protect the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A recent study led by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decrease is described as "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "ought to live quite well in the majority of areas in Britain," so 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 Danger from Roads

Though the research didn't cover the reasons for the drop, traffic is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are crushed on UK roads annually – that is, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "with just a small container," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their ability to remain away from water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to find them – often hundreds of metres. They tend to stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Appropriately enough, the first toads start their journey for a partner around February 14th, but some move as far as April, until it gets dark and moving through the night. During that time, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who was raised in the region 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 route crosses a road, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Across the UK

Seeing many of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the formation of rescue teams across the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a countrywide program. These teams collect toads and carry them across roads in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers tend to operate during the breeding period, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this means they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been spawn and then tadpoles, leave their ponds over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever weather are warm and wet, or if a member has reported about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they concede it is "not a toady night" – toad hibernation season has started and it's been a arid period – but a few 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, indicating her 14-year-old son and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Family Participation

The family duo became part of 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 mother started to look for activities they could do together to help native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner tells me – so when the team was looking for a new manager lately, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A video he made, urging the municipal authority to block a street through a nature reserve during migration season, swung the decision the team's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between evening and morning from late winter through to spring. Most drivers duly avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

A few cars go by when I'm out on patrol and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the teenager is particularly pleased to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his hands. Yet despite the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the native community has clearly gone dormant for the winter. It seems that I wouldn't have had any more luck elsewhere in the country – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

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

One email I get from another volunteer, who has kindly taken the trouble to check for toads in a noted location, considered the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, reaches me with the subject line: "No toads." However, in February and March, he tells me, the group expects to help around ten thousand adult toads over the street.

Impact and Challenges

How much of a difference can these groups actually make? "The reality that people are performing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is quite extraordinary," notes an expert. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – partly since vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which create the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to wake up from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation vital to their existence. Loss of environment – especially the disappearance of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," however "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, eating pretty much any small creatures or small animals they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving situations for toads – ie creating more ponds, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "benefits for a wide range of other species."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to try to keep toads around is their "important cultural value," notes an expert. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred