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It is a Friday evening at 7:30, but rather than heading to the pub or watching a film, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to meet up with volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their evenings to safeguard the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Population

The common toad is growing more uncommon. A latest study conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the UK toad population have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Observing a creature that has been a fixture of the British countryside in decline is described as "concerning" by researchers. Toads "don't need very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well 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."

Toad populations across the UK have declined by almost 50% since the 1980s

The Threat from Roads

Though the research didn't cover the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be content to mate "if you left out a small container," toads favor large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to find them – often long distances. They tend to stick to their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Habits

Fittingly, the first toads begin their quest for a mate around February 14th, but others travel as late as spring, until it gets night and moving after sunset. During that time, toads start moving from wherever they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the region and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a boy, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their path crosses a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would never happen – stopping a new generation of toads from being born.

Rescue Groups Across the UK

Finding hundreds of dead toads on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a national initiative. These teams collect toads and transport them over streets in buckets, as well as recording the quantity of toads they find and advocating for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this implies they can overlook groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then tadpoles, leave their water habitats over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their small stature – just one or two centimetres wide – "they can get obliterated 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 lost, their remains can be tallied.

Year-Round Work

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out year-round – not nightly, but when conditions are damp, or if a member has reported about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they admit it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their area with me and search for any toads. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the patrol manager, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for two hours without a single toad sighting, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to check under some wood.

Community Participation

The mother and son joined the patrol a while back. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an ambition 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 41-year-old small business owner explains – so when the team was seeking a new manager lately, she volunteered for the role.

The teenager, too, has played an important role in the organization. A clip he made, imploring the local council to close a road through a protected area during migration season, swung the decision the group's way. After a year of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "access-only" rule between evening and morning from February through to April. Most drivers respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several vehicles go past when I'm out on patrol and we discover some victims as a result – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We spot one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a daddy longlegs, which moves in his hands. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to show me a toad, the local population has obviously settled down for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any more luck anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams I contact explain that it's very difficult at this season.

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

One email I receive from another volunteer, who has kindly made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, considered the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the subject line: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team plans to assist approximately 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Limitations

How much of a difference can these organizations actually make? "The fact that volunteers are performing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings 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 can't stop it completely – not least because traffic is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The global warming has meant longer periods of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to emerge from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation vital to their life cycle. Loss of environment – particularly the loss of big water bodies – is an additional threat.

Experts are "often concerned about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads do have an important role in the ecosystem, eating pretty much any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn feeding a variety of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving conditions for toads – ie creating more ponds, conserving woodland and constructing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to work to preserve toads present is their "historical significance," adds an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred