Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is appealing to the county’s animal lovers to volunteer to help a toad to cross the road.
Last year over 70 volunteer ‘toad patrollers’ of all walks of life headed out on mild evenings between February and April to save toads that migrate every year to the ponds where they were born. The volunteers saved an amazing 2,700 amorous toads from death!
Searching for a mate, many toads have their 12 year lifespan cut brutally short by traffic on roads built across the routes to their breeding ponds.
Ellen Winter, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Community Officer said: “Your local area probably has at least one toad crossing. We need more information on where you see flat toads, and more patrollers to help for a few hours on your local crossing.”
People patrol as much or as little as they choose, but toad crossings can be up to two miles long, so more patrollers looking for toads means more that are rescued. They are carried across the road in buckets, before being released safely on the other side, and numbers recorded.
Patroller Gemma Waters said: “It felt really great to be helping the toads as they are not as common as they used to be and they make such a cute ‘chirp’ in the bucket.”
If you are interested in helping to save toads in your area please email the friendly volunteer team on glos.toads@gmail.com
