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It's Friday night at half past seven, but rather than heading to the pub or watching a film, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their evenings to protect the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Decline in Population

The common toad is growing more uncommon. A recent research led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the UK toad population have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well in most of areas in the UK," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

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

The Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are crushed on UK roads annually – that is, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be content to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their ability to remain away from water for longer than frogs allows they can journey farther to reach them – often long distances. They tend to stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Habits

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a mate around February 14th, but others travel as late as spring, until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that period, toads start moving from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, who was raised in the region and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a child, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their path happens to a road, they could all get run over, and that mating period would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being born.

Rescue Groups Across the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the formation of toad patrols across the UK – 274 groups are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and transport them across roads in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and advocating for other protection measures, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can miss groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then tadpoles, exit their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Work

In contrast to many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out throughout the year – not every night, but when conditions are damp, or if someone has reported about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on duty, they concede it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but a few of the volunteers gamely agree to walk up and down their area with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the patrol manager, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for two hours without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to inspect beneath some wood.

Family Participation

The family duo joined the group a year and a half ago. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his mother started to search for things they could do together to help native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur explains – so when the team was looking for a fresh coordinator lately, she volunteered for the role.

The teenager, too, has played an important role in the organization. A clip he created, urging the municipal authority to close a road through a protected area during migration season, swung the decision the group's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "access-only" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to April. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the route.

Additional Species and Challenges

A few cars go past when I'm out on patrol and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which moves in his hands. Yet in spite of the group's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the local population has clearly gone dormant for the colder months. It appears that I wouldn't have had any better success elsewhere in the country – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's very difficult at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

A message I get from a different helper, who has generously taken the trouble to check for toads in a noted location, thought to be the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately ten thousand adult toads across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

How much of a difference can these organizations truly achieve? "The reality that volunteers are doing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable evenings is remarkable," says an expert. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to reduce the drop, they can't stop it completely – partly since vehicles is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The global warming has meant extended spells of drought, which create the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads consume, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to emerge from their dormancy more frequently, 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 overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads play an important role in the ecosystem, eating pretty much any small creatures or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn feeding a number of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving situations for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Historical Importance

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