Amphibians begin their spawning migration: Caution on roads
At the end of winter, amphibians migrate in their thousands to their spawning waters. Caution is advised.
They have never heard of social distancing, and they ignore assembly bans: as temperatures turn mild, amphibians set out in their thousands toward their spawning waters, crossing roads where careless drivers run them over.
Extra caution is now required on the roads. After their winter rest, sheltered under leaves or piles of earth, mild temperatures and rainfall lure these wild animals out into the open: native amphibians — frogs, toads, newts — make their way to the ponds, streams, and pools where they were born, in order to lay their eggs there. It is a perilous journey. They often travel several kilometres, crossing paths and roads, and many of them perish along the way. The situation is particularly dramatic for the common toad. Since entire populations set off at the same time, and since the animals move very slowly, true “massacres” can occur on the roads, leading to the extermination of entire local populations.
Nighttime rescue operations
To protect amphibians from being killed on the roads and to preserve endangered populations, volunteers erect amphibian barriers every year at particularly critical road sections throughout Switzerland. These “guide fences” made of plastic along roadsides direct the migrating animals into special collection devices or underpasses, where volunteer helpers also gather them up and carry them safely across the road. The Swiss Animal Protection (STS) sections alone, which carry out annual rescue operations on behalf of migrating amphibians, collect more than 20,000 animals each spring and bring them safely across the roads.
Volunteers and animals are now dependent on the consideration of drivers. The Swiss Animal Protection STS urges all drivers to exercise great caution at night, especially near bodies of water and on the edges of wetlands, to drive at an appropriate speed (< 30 km/h), and to watch out for amphibians on the road. Where possible, known routes with amphibian migrations should be avoided and alternative roads used.
