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It's Friday night at 7:30, but rather than heading to the pub or watching a film, I've taken a train to a town in the countryside to join local helpers from a toad patrol. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their nights to safeguard the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Decline in Population

The Bufo bufo is growing more rare. A latest research led by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Observing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "ought to live successfully in the majority of habitats in Britain," so if even they are struggling to persist, "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 Threat from Roads

Though the research didn't cover the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Estimates indicate that 20 tons of toads are crushed on UK roads every year – in other words, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which might be content to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads favor large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – often long distances. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for mature amphibians to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a partner around February 14th, but some move as far as spring, until it gets night and moving after sunset. During that time, toads start moving from where they have been overwintering "all pretty much at the same time."

One volunteer, who was raised in the area and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a boy, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their path happens to a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would be lost – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Across the United Kingdom

Finding hundreds of dead toads on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the creation of toad patrols throughout the UK – 274 groups are officially listed with a countrywide program. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols tend to operate during the migration season, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can miss numbers of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then juveniles, exit 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 hit "essentially crushes them," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their carcasses can be tallied.

Year-Round Efforts

In contrast to most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out year-round – not nightly, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if a member has posted about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their route with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her teenage child and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some logs.

Family Involvement

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

The teenager, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video he created, imploring the municipal authority to close a street through a protected area during migration season, influenced the outcome the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the authority 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

Several vehicles go by when I'm out on patrol and we find some victims 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 daddy longlegs, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the group's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the native community has clearly gone dormant for the winter. It appears that I couldn't have found any better success anywhere else in the country – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's very difficult at this season.

The group expects to help approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road

One email I get from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a noted location, considered the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist around ten thousand adult toads across the road.

Effectiveness and Limitations

What level of impact can these groups actually make? "The reality that volunteers are performing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is quite extraordinary," says an expert. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to wake up from their dormancy more often, disrupting the resource preservation crucial to their existence. Loss of environment – especially the disappearance of big water bodies – is another menace.

Experts are "often concerned about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," however "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads do have an important role in the ecosystem, consuming almost 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. Enhancing situations for toads – such as creating more ponds, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of other species."

Cultural Importance

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