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It is Friday night at half past seven, but instead of going out or watching a film, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a amphibian rescue group. These committed people give up their nights to protect the local toad population.

An Alarming Decline in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest research led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the UK toad population have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "ought to live successfully in most of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are struggling to persist, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Traffic

Though the research didn't cover the causes for the decline, traffic is a major factor. Calculations suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on British roads annually – that is, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which might be happy to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads favor big bodies of water. Their capacity to remain away from water for more time than frogs means they can travel further to find them – sometimes long distances. They usually follow their ancestral migration routes – it's common for adult toads to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Appropriately enough, the first toads start their journey for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as far as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling through the night. During that period, toads start moving from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."

One volunteer, who was raised in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a child, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their route crosses a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Rescue Groups Across the UK

Finding many of toad carcasses on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the creation of toad patrols throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a countrywide program. These teams pick up toads and transport them over streets in buckets, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols 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 spawn and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by vehicles." And as being hit "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to get data on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their remains can be tallied.

Year-Round Efforts

In contrast to 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 amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on duty, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but a few of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their route with me and search for any toads. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the patrol manager, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to check under some logs.

Community 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 environmentalist, so his parent started to look for things they could do jointly to protect native animals. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged entrepreneur tells me – so when the team was seeking a fresh coordinator recently, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A video he created, urging the local council to block a street through a nature reserve during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a twelve months of lobbying, the council approved an "access-only" rule between 5pm and 5am from February through to spring. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

Several cars go past when I'm out on duty and we find some casualties as a result – no toads, but three squashed newts. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the teenager is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the team's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has clearly settled down for the winter. It appears that I couldn't have found any better success anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact clarify that it's near-impossible at this time of year.

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

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has kindly taken the trouble to look for toads in a noted location, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "No toads." However, in late winter, he informs me, the team plans to assist around 10,000 mature amphibians over the street.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are performing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," says an researcher. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since traffic is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The climate crisis has meant longer periods of drought, which create the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have led to 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 energy conservation vital to their existence. Loss of environment – particularly the loss of big water bodies – is another menace.

Experts are "often concerned about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an important role in the food chain, consuming almost any invertebrates or small animals they can swallow and in turn sustaining a number of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Improving situations for toads – such as creating more ponds, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "benefits for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Historical Significance

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