Will the UK's Common Toads Survive from Traffic and Terrible Decline?
It's Friday evening at 7:30, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their evenings to protect the native amphibian community.
A Worrying Drop in Population
The Bufo bufo is growing more rare. A latest study led by an amphibian and reptile charity showed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since the mid-1980s. Observing a creature that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is described as "concerning" by researchers. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in the majority of areas in the UK," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it indicates that things are not as they should be."
The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985
The Danger from Traffic
Though the study didn't cover the reasons for the drop, traffic is a major factor. Calculations suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on British roads every year – that is, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which might be happy to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads favor large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to find them – sometimes long distances. They tend to stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's common for adult toads to go back to their natal pond to mate.
Breeding Patterns
Fittingly, the first toads begin their quest for a mate around February 14th, but others travel as late as April, until it gets night and travelling after sunset. During that time, toads start moving from where they have been hibernating "all pretty much at the same time."
A local helper, who was raised in the region and has been trying to protect its amphibians since he was a child, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their route happens to a road, 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 United Kingdom
Finding hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has led to the creation of toad patrols across the UK – hundreds of organizations are currently registered with a countrywide program. These groups pick up toads and transport them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.
Volunteers usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can miss groups of toadlets, which, having been spawn and then juveniles, exit their ponds over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their small stature – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to get data on them. At least when adult toads are killed, their carcasses can be counted.
Year-Round Work
In contrast to most patrols, one local team, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out year-round – not every night, but whenever conditions are warm and wet, or if a member has reported about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I request to accompany them on duty, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has begun and it's been a arid period – but several of the volunteers willingly accept to walk up and down their route 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 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 wire barrier to inspect beneath some logs.
Family Participation
The family duo became part of the patrol a year and a half ago. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities 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 group was looking for a new manager lately, she volunteered for the role.
The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A clip he made, imploring the local council to close a road through a protected area during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a year of campaigning, the council agreed to an "access-only" rule between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to April. Most drivers duly avoided the route.
Additional Species and Difficulties
Several cars go by when I'm out on duty and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We spot one living newt as well, and the youngster is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his hands. Yet despite the team's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the native community has obviously settled down for the colder months. It seems that I wouldn't have had any better success anywhere else in the nation – all the rescue teams 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 receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the biggest tracked toad population in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in late winter, he tells me, the team plans to assist around ten thousand 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 consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is quite extraordinary," says an researcher. "That's something that very much deserves recognition." However, while rescue teams are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – not least because traffic is not the only threat.
Other Dangers
The global warming has meant extended spells of dry weather, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads consume, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an increase of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also cause toads to wake up from their dormancy more frequently, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the disappearance of big water bodies – is another menace.
Researchers are "always a bit worried about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on wildlife," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads play an significant part in the ecosystem, consuming almost any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as building water habitats, protecting forests and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a wide range of additional wildlife."
Cultural Importance
Another reason to try to keep toads around is their "important cultural value," notes an specialist. Myths and folklore around toads go back {centuries|hundred
