This year, the Wildlife Trust is raising awareness of the plight of the Common Toad. We are approaching the time of year when the common toad will soon be starting their dangerous migration to the breeding ponds they frequent each year to breed and spawn.
Each year, it is estimated that over 20 tonnes of toads are killed on roads. This startling fact, together with other environmental impacts such as habitat loss, means that toad numbers will soon be in a fast rate of decline.
Residents, staff and the children helped Ellen create over 20 toad homes by, very noisily, nailing two pieces of timber together and adding an end plate and some added protection from a re-cycled rubber tyre “roof”. These tent-like structures were given to the children to take home with instructions to part bury them in their gardens. The houses will provide a much needed haven for the toad, safe from predators. It is hoped that the children will monitor these houses for toad usage and report any sightings back to the Wildlife Trust.
The event with The Croft Primary School also links in with other toad related events going on in the local area. On Wednesday 30th January Richmond Village played host to 30 volunteers who attended a training session led by Ellen Winter in how to safely patrol toad crossing points. Owen Vaughan, Head Gardener at Richmond Painswick commented “It was quite amusing, I’m sure, to see the volunteers dressed in high visibility outfits patrolling the roads around Richmond. I’m sure it was not what the residents were expecting to see when they sat down to their evening meals!”
