650 toads saved from ‘massacre' in Sussex village
Volunteers have saved 650 toads from a 'massacre' in an East Sussex village.
The residents of Litlington, near Eastbourne, have mobilised patrols to protect migrating toads as they cross the main road.
Hundreds of toads, which come out of hibernation in March, get run over in the village every year as they crawl towards fresh water to spawn.
Volunteers are now manning a 2.5-mile stretch of road, urging motorists to slow down and weave around the amphibians.
'This is our first year and we just have to get it as right as we can,' said Penny Aeberhard, who has organised the initiative.
'After the first night we realised that the big massacres were happening as people were travelling from south to north as they're coming home from work, Monday to Friday.
'They're driving too fast – you have to go at 15 to 20mph maximum to avoid these little critters.'
The volunteers have helped 650 toads across the road so far this year but have recorded 116 deaths.
Ms Aeberhard told BBC News the patrol was 'not for the faint-hearted' because of the busy traffic
'Too dark, too cold, too wet, too slippery, fall into a pothole, break an ankle or whatever, or get hit by a car,' she said.
Vanessa Rowlands, one of the volunteers, said that when she was not patrolling she felt 'slightly anxious that I'm not going to be out for the rest of them'.
'Coming out and just saving some toads has been really, really good for my mental health,' she said, adding: 'We have made a big difference.'
Toad patrols are organised across Britain by the charity Froglife, which last year helped 115,117 of the animals cross roads during spawning season.
There are more than 200 patrols across the UK helping amphibians during the migration season.
In some parts of the country roads are completely closed at night to help toads get to their breeding grounds.
Charlcombe Lane near Bath, Somerset, is closed until March 25 between dusk and dawn to allow volunteers to pick up toads from the road and take them to safety.
More than 3,000 toads were saved from the half-mile stretch of road last year.
The Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group, which organises the effort, has seen a reduction in the toad casualty rate from 62 per cent to just 6 per cent.
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