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It's Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a market town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their evenings to safeguard the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Decline in Population

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest research conducted by an wildlife conservation group showed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in most of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates 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 examine the causes for the drop, cars is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on UK roads every year – in other words, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for more time than frogs allows they can journey farther to find them – sometimes long distances. They tend to follow their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a partner around February 14th, but some move as late as spring, until it gets dark and moving after sunset. During that period, toads start moving from where they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the region and has been working to save its amphibians since he was a boy, notes that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their route happens to a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would never happen – stopping a next generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Across the UK

Seeing many of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has led to the creation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a national initiative. These groups pick up toads and carry them across roads in containers, as well as counting the number of toads they find and advocating for other safety solutions, such as blocked roads and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols tend to operate during the breeding period, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this implies they can miss groups of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then tadpoles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their small stature – just one or two centimetres wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their carcasses can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of functioning, go out throughout the year – not every night, but whenever weather are warm and wet, or if a member has posted about a amphibian spotting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has begun and it's been a dry day – but a few of the volunteers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and see what we can find. "Should anyone can locate any toads tonight, that pair will spot one," says the group coordinator, indicating 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 climbed over a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Family Participation

The mother and son joined the group a year and a half ago. The teenager adores all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do jointly to protect native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner tells me – so when the team was looking for a new manager lately, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the organization. A video he created, imploring the local council to close a street through a nature reserve during breeding time, swung the decision the group's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the council agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from February through to April. The majority of motorists duly avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

Several vehicles go by when I'm out on duty and we discover some victims as a result – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet in spite of the group's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously settled down for the colder months. 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 time of year.

This team anticipates assisting around ten thousand mature toads over the street

A message I receive from a different helper, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "No toads." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately 10,000 mature amphibians over the street.

Effectiveness and Limitations

How much of a difference can these organizations truly achieve? "The fact that people are performing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," says an expert. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." 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 longer periods of drought, which cause the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have led to an increase of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to emerge from their hibernation more frequently, interfering with the resource preservation crucial to their existence. Loss of environment – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," but "It's important in just their presence." But toads do have an important role in the food chain, consuming almost any small creatures or small animals they can swallow and in turn sustaining a variety of predators, such as wildlife. Enhancing conditions for toads – ie creating more ponds, conserving woodland and installing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of other species."

Historical Importance

Another reason to try to keep toads around is their "important cultural value," adds an expert. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred