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It's Friday night at 7:30, but rather than going out or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a toad patrol. These dedicated individuals give up their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Drop in Population

The common toad is growing more uncommon. A latest study conducted 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 fixture of the UK landscape in decrease is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't need very specific conditions" and "ought to live quite well in the majority of habitats in the UK," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Roads

Though the research didn't examine the reasons for the decline, traffic is a major factor. Estimates indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on UK roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which might be happy to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for more time than frogs allows they can journey farther to find them – often hundreds of metres. They usually follow their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a mate around February 14th, but some move as late as April, until it gets dark and moving after sunset. During that period, toads start moving from where they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who was raised in the area and has been working to save 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 be killed by traffic, and that mating period would be lost – stopping a next generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Across the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of toad carcasses on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the creation of toad patrols across the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a countrywide program. These groups pick up toads and transport them over streets in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the migration season, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this means they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then tadpoles, exit their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in late summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their carcasses can be counted.

Annual Efforts

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out throughout the year – not nightly, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has reported about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I ask to join them on patrol, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but a few of the helpers gamely agree to walk up and down their area with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the group coordinator, indicating her teenage child and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for two hours without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some logs.

Family Involvement

The family duo joined the patrol a while back. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do together to protect native animals. 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 recently, she volunteered for the role.

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the group. A clip he made, urging the local council to block a road through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the council agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to spring. Most drivers respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

Several cars go by when I'm out on duty and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but several crushed salamanders. We see one live amphibian as well, and the teenager is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which dances in his hands. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the native community has clearly settled down for the winter. It seems that I wouldn't have had any better success elsewhere in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact 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 a different helper, who has kindly made the effort to look for toads in a noted location, considered the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in late winter, he tells me, the team plans to assist around ten thousand adult toads over the street.

Impact and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups actually make? "The fact that volunteers are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an expert. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to wake up from their hibernation more often, disrupting the energy conservation crucial to their life cycle. Loss of environment – particularly the disappearance of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Experts are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an significant part in the food chain, consuming pretty much any small creatures or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a variety of predators, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and constructing amphibian passages – "benefits for a wide range of other species."

Cultural Significance

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