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It's a Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in the countryside to join volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Drop in Population

The Bufo bufo is growing more uncommon. A latest study led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the UK toad population have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Seeing a creature that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't need very specific conditions" and "should be able to live successfully in the majority of areas in Britain," 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 Roads

Though the study didn't cover the reasons for the decline, traffic certainly plays a part. Calculations indicate that 20 tons of toads are crushed on UK roads every year – that is, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which might be content to mate "with just a small container," toads prefer big bodies of water. Their capacity to remain away from water for more time than frogs allows they can travel further to reach them – sometimes long distances. They tend to stick to their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Fittingly, the initial amphibians start their journey for a mate around Valentine's day, but others travel as far as April, until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that time, toads begin migrating from where they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

One volunteer, who grew up in the area 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 happens to a road, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would be lost – stopping a next generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Seeing hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the formation of toad patrols across the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups pick up toads and carry them over streets in containers, as well as counting the number of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this means they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then tadpoles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in the end of summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being hit "essentially crushes them," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their carcasses can be counted.

Year-Round Work

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out throughout the year – not nightly, but whenever weather are warm and wet, or if someone has posted about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I ask to join them on duty, they admit it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their area with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can locate any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Family Participation

The mother and son became part of the patrol a year and a half ago. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an goal to become a environmentalist, so his parent started to search for things they could do together to protect local wildlife. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner explains – so when the team was looking for a fresh coordinator lately, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has played an important role in the group. A video he made, urging the local council to block a street through a nature reserve during migration season, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the authority approved an "access-only" restriction between evening and morning from February through to April. Most drivers respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

A few cars go past when I'm out on patrol and we find some casualties as a result – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his hands. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the local population has clearly settled down for the winter. It appears that I wouldn't have had any better success anywhere else in the country – all the patrol groups I contact explain that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

One email I get from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, thought to be the biggest tracked toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "No toads." However, in late winter, he informs me, the group expects to help approximately 10,000 mature amphibians over the street.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these groups truly achieve? "The fact that people are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is remarkable," says an expert. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – not least because vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The climate crisis has meant extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads consume, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have caused an increase of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to emerge from their hibernation more often, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Loss of environment – especially the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Experts are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads play an significant part in the food chain, consuming pretty much any small creatures or tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a number of predators, such as wildlife. Enhancing situations for toads – ie building water habitats, protecting forests and constructing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of other species."

Historical Significance

An additional motive to work to preserve toads present is their "important cultural value," adds an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred