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It is a Friday night at half past seven, but instead of heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a market town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their nights to protect the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The common toad is growing more uncommon. A recent research conducted by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have almost halved since 1985. Observing a species that has been a stalwart of the British countryside in decline is described as "worrying" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "ought to live successfully in the majority 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 study didn't cover the reasons for the drop, cars is a major factor. Calculations suggest that 20 tonnes of toads are crushed on British roads annually – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "with just a small container," toads favor large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to return to their birth pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but others travel as late as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling after sunset. During that period, 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 working to save its amphibians since he was a child, notes that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their path crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the United Kingdom

Finding many of dead toads on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the formation of rescue teams throughout the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a national initiative. These groups collect toads and carry them over streets in buckets, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers tend to operate during the migration season, when amphibian movements are more regular. However, this means they can overlook numbers of young toads, which, having existed as eggs and then juveniles, exit their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they can get obliterated by vehicles." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their remains can be tallied.

Year-Round Efforts

In contrast to most patrols, one local team, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out throughout the year – not every night, but when conditions are warm and wet, or if someone has posted about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they admit it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has started and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and search for any toads. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for 120 minutes without a single toad sighting, and now they have scaled a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some wood.

Community Involvement

The mother and son joined the group a year and a half ago. The teenager loves all things wildlife and has an goal to become a environmentalist, so his mother started to search for activities they could do together to protect local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner tells me – so when the team was seeking a fresh coordinator lately, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A video he created, imploring the municipal authority to close a road through a protected area during breeding time, swung the decision the group's way. After a year of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between evening and morning from February through to spring. Most drivers respected and avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

Several vehicles go by when I'm out on patrol and we discover some casualties as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which moves in his palms. Yet despite the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has clearly settled down for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any more luck elsewhere in the nation – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's very difficult at this time of year.

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

One email I get 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 group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in late winter, he tells me, the group plans to assist around ten thousand adult toads over the street.

Effectiveness and Challenges

How much of a difference can these organizations truly achieve? "The fact that volunteers are performing this consistently 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 vehicles is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has meant longer periods of drought, which cause the wrong conditions for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while higher water temperatures have led to an rise of toxic plants, which can be toxic to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to wake up from their hibernation more frequently, interfering with the energy conservation crucial to their existence. Habitat destruction – especially the loss of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads play an important role in the food chain, consuming pretty much any invertebrates or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a number of birds and mammals, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – ie creating more ponds, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "benefits for a wide range of other species."

Cultural Importance

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