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It's a Friday night at half past seven, but rather than heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with local helpers from a toad patrol. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Drop in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A recent study led by an wildlife conservation group showed that the UK toad population have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live successfully in most 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."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Danger from Traffic

Though the research didn't cover the causes for the drop, cars is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "if you left out a small container," toads favor large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can travel further to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They tend to stick to their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Appropriately enough, the first toads start their journey for a partner around February 14th, but some move as far as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that time, toads begin migrating from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

A local helper, 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 have an orgy." If their path happens to a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being produced.

Rescue Groups Throughout the UK

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols across the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a national initiative. These teams collect toads and carry them across roads in buckets, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Volunteers usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can miss numbers of toadlets, which, having existed as eggs and then tadpoles, exit their ponds over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by car traffic." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their remains can be counted.

Annual Efforts

In contrast to many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out year-round – 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 patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has started and it's been a dry day – but a few of the volunteers 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 longtime volunteer. We've been out for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to inspect beneath some wood.

Community Involvement

The family duo joined the patrol a while back. The teenager loves all things nature-related and has an ambition to become a environmentalist, so his mother started to search for things they could do together to help native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur explains – so when the team was seeking a new manager recently, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the organization. A video he made, urging the municipal authority to block a street through a nature reserve during breeding time, swung the decision the team's way. After a year of campaigning, the council approved an "restricted access" rule between evening and morning from February through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

A few vehicles go past when I'm out on patrol and we discover some victims as a consequence – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a harvestman, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the team's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has clearly gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I wouldn't have had any better success elsewhere in the nation – all the patrol groups I contact explain that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

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

A message I get from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, considered the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "No toads." However, in late winter, he tells me, the team expects to help around 10,000 mature amphibians over the street.

Impact and Limitations

How much of a difference can these groups truly achieve? "The reality that volunteers are doing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights 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 – not least because vehicles is not the only threat.

Additional Threats

The climate crisis has meant extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have led to an rise of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to emerge from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the resource preservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – especially the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on wildlife," but "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an important role in the ecosystem, consuming pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a number of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as creating more ponds, protecting forests and constructing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Historical Importance

Another reason to work to preserve toads around is their "historical significance," notes an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred