And this is why a Russian nature reserve is looking for people to help its local toads traverse a busy road later this year.
“The Sestroretsk Swamp reserve is preparing for the seasonal migration of gray toads and is opening registration of volunteers to help amphibians,” St. Petersburg’s Committee for Environmental Management, Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety said on its Telegram channel.
When the weather gets warmer, the toads begin their mating season and move from the forests to the eastern shore of the Sestroretsk Reservoir to lay eggs before returning to the forest again, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of St. Petersburg.
But a road lies on their migration path and it has become a threat to the toad population. So, in order to preserve the population, the reserve seeks the help of volunteers every year to help the toads safely reach their spawning grounds.
The reserve requires volunteers to complete registration as well as training before they can help the toads cross the road, and it urges citizens who aren’t trained in toad-marshalling not to touch the creatures as this could harm them.
