Can Britain's Toads Survive from Traffic and Population Collapse?
It's a Friday night at half past seven, 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 dedicated individuals sacrifice their nights to safeguard the local toad population.
An Alarming Drop in Population
The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly rare. A recent research conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't need very specific conditions" and "ought to live quite well in the majority of habitats in Britain," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."
The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985
The Threat from Traffic
Though the study didn't cover the causes for the drop, traffic certainly plays a part. Estimates suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on UK roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "if you left out a small container," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs allows they can travel further to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their traditional paths – it's typical for adult toads to return to their birth pond to mate.
Breeding Habits
Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a mate around February 14th, but others travel as far as April, until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that period, toads start moving from wherever they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."
A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been working to save its toad population since he was a child, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their path happens to a street, they could all get run over, and that mating period would be lost – preventing a next generation of toads from being produced.
Rescue Groups Throughout the United Kingdom
Finding hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the formation of toad patrols throughout the UK – 274 groups are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups pick up toads and carry them across roads in buckets, as well as recording the number of toads they find and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.
Patrols usually work during the migration season, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this implies they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having been spawn and then tadpoles, exit their water habitats over an irregular timetable in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their carcasses can be tallied.
Annual Efforts
In contrast to most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out year-round – not every night, but when conditions are damp, or if a member has posted about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I ask to join them on duty, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a arid period – but several of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their area with me and search for any toads. "If anyone can locate any toads tonight, those two will find one," says the patrol manager, indicating her teenage child and the longtime volunteer. We've been out for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have climbed over a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some wood.
Family Involvement
The mother and son became part of the group a while back. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do together to help native animals. Now she loves it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner tells me – so when the team was seeking a fresh coordinator recently, she volunteered for the role.
The youth, too, has played an important role in the group. A clip he created, urging the local council to block a road through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the council agreed to an "access-only" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to spring. The majority of motorists duly avoided the road.
Other Wildlife and Difficulties
A few cars go past when I'm out on duty and we find some victims as a consequence – no amphibians, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the teenager is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the native community has obviously gone dormant for the winter. It appears that I wouldn't have had any more luck anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's very difficult at this season.
The group expects to help approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road
One email 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 title: "No toads." However, in February and March, he informs me, the team expects to help around ten thousand mature amphibians over the street.
Impact and Challenges
How much of a difference can these groups actually make? "The fact that volunteers are doing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an researcher. "This effort 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 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 creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have led to an rise of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to wake up from their hibernation more frequently, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.
Researchers are "often concerned about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," but "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads play an significant part in the ecosystem, consuming pretty much any small creatures or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a variety of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Enhancing situations for toads – such as creating more ponds, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "benefits for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."
Cultural Significance
An additional motive to try to keep toads present is their "important cultural value," notes an expert. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred
