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It's Friday night at half past seven, but rather than going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with local helpers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals give up their nights to safeguard the local toad population.

A Worrying Drop in Numbers

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest research conducted by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is labeled "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in the majority of areas in the UK," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

Since 1985, Britain's toad numbers have nearly been cut in half

The Danger from Traffic

Though the research didn't examine the causes for the drop, cars certainly plays a part. Calculations indicate that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads annually – in other words, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which would probably be content to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs allows they can travel further to find them – often long distances. They tend to stick to their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

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

One volunteer, who was raised in the region and has been trying to protect its amphibians since he was a child, notes that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their path crosses a road, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a next generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Across the United Kingdom

Finding many of toad carcasses on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols across the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in buckets, as well as recording the number of toads they find and lobbying for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, leave their ponds over an irregular timetable in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's more difficult to get data on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their carcasses can be tallied.

Annual Work

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever weather are damp, or if someone has reported about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a arid period – but several of the helpers gamely agree to walk up and down their route with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can locate any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some logs.

Family Participation

The mother and son joined the group a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, so his parent started to search for things they could do jointly to protect local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old entrepreneur tells me – so when the team was seeking a new manager recently, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the organization. A video he created, urging the municipal authority to close a street through a nature reserve during breeding time, swung the decision the team's way. After a year of lobbying, the council agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between evening and morning from February through to spring. Most drivers respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

A few cars go past when I'm out on patrol and we find some victims as a result – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We spot one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his hands. Yet despite the team's best efforts 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 anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's near-impossible at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

A message I receive from another volunteer, who has generously taken the trouble to look for toads in a famous site, considered the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in late winter, he tells me, the group plans to assist around 10,000 adult toads across the road.

Impact and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups truly achieve? "The fact that people are performing this regularly on chilly, wet and miserable late nights is remarkable," says an researcher. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to emerge from their hibernation more often, disrupting the energy conservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the loss of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Experts are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on wildlife," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads play an important role in the food chain, consuming almost any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, protecting forests and constructing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of other species."

Historical Importance

An additional motive to try to keep toads around is their "historical significance," adds an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred