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Nightly patrols saving toads in a hole

7:00pm Friday 19th March 2010 in


DRIVERS are being urged to avoid a road where volunteers rescued around 500 toads on one night.

Despite the nightly efforts of the Ringwood Toad Patrol, some toads have still been squashed by careless drivers.

The mild but wet weather over recent nights has produced the ideal conditions for toads to migrate across a field, heading for the gravel lakes in the area of Gorley Road.

Toad patrol volunteers picked up around 100 of the amphibians on Wednesday night and around 500 on Thursday, said organiser Teresa Baker, and were expecting to pick up hundreds more last night.

“We want to request that drivers avoid the road because they will be held up,” she said. “We are patrolling. We do have to stop and get out. If you want to get home fast, don’t use the Gorley Road.”

Drivers that do use the route are being asked to drive cautiously and heed the warning signs to avoid squashing toads.

Toads will only cross the road between dusk and dawn and when the temperature is above five degrees celsius. They normally travel back to where they were born in order to spawn, between January and April.

Toads have been spawning earlier during the recent mild winters. But this year’s harsh weather has led them to spawn later, more in line with their normal behaviour.

“In the UK there are 750 crossing sites which have been registered in the last 25 years and this particular site is one of the most important,” said Teresa.

The volunteers have thanked drivers who have driven cautiously during the spawning season.

Anyone who would like to join the patrols should call 01425 478891.

Comments(9)

Henry Bear says...
8:09pm Fri 19 Mar 10

Despite the nightly efforts of the Ringwood Toad Patrol, some toads have still been squashed by careless drivers.

Your taking the P right?

I would call it careless if a driver did an emergency stop or held up traffic because of a toad!!

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Bormuf Boy says...
8:39pm Fri 19 Mar 10

Henry Bear wrote:
Despite the nightly efforts of the Ringwood Toad Patrol, some toads have still been squashed by careless drivers. Your taking the P right? I would call it careless if a driver did an emergency stop or held up traffic because of a toad!!
What a jobsworth. You need to get out more. We need more people like you.............wait for it..............NOT !!!!

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charley farley west parley says...
11:10pm Fri 19 Mar 10

I cycle through Winton and Talbot Woods at midnight on my way to work and this time of year you'd be amazed at the amount of frogs and toads out and about. Unfortunately there are a high number of casualties squashed, or even worse partly squashed on the roads. I know it's a difficult thing to avoid because people and their cars override all else.
It's pleasing to know that there are people making an effort to protect the toads and requesting just a little patience and understanding from motorists, which i'm sure most fully agree with.

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Henry Bear says...
11:33pm Fri 19 Mar 10

Sorry. Most people will not be on the look out for a toad in normal circumstance.

If you say you would your in make believe land.

I can see it now, road closed after car kills child whilst taking avoiding action after a toad ran in the road.

Don't think so, fools.

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idontknowifitistrue says...
11:47pm Fri 19 Mar 10

Must make a point of driving up and down the road a few times to see how many I score, beats computer games.

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charley farley west parley says...
1:54am Sat 20 Mar 10

read the story. they are not requesting you make emergency stops whilst looking out for toads. They are requesting , if you wouldnt mind and if it doesnt inconvenience you, to not use this particular road in Ringwood. No mention of killing children or anything else. A simple, polite request that couldn't possibly be taken in the wrong way, except by you. Have a day off.

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Brite Spark says...
3:08am Sat 20 Mar 10

Any offenders should be toad away.

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2Much...again! says...
8:15am Sat 20 Mar 10

Amazes me when people get more passionate about frogs than kids!

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Laurie H Marsh says...
12:51pm Sun 21 Mar 10

Without trying to upset anyone the national sport in Queensland (after cricket and rugby league) is killing cane toads with a golf club.
This (introduced) species is a real pest and has a poison sac that kills most predators.
The do-gooders recomend that these things are put in a plastic bag and put int a freezer so that they can meet their maker in a dignified manner (that is BEFORE they are belted in the aforesaid manner)!
If you would care to accept a few I am sure that there would be a glut in no time at all!

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