The alleged death of a large number of large frogs in an area of Britain has sparked a new scare among conservationists.
More than 1,000 toads may have died after a water company in North Wales drained a reservoir vital to the local ecosystem, it has been reported.
Wrexham Toad Patrol volunteers help toads return to Nant-y-Frith Reservoir on the Llandegla Moors during the breeding season, this year helping 1,500 amphibians cross busy roads to help protect the declining species.
The group said it was “shocked, angry and heartbroken” to learn that the reservoir was drained by Hafren Dyfrdwy over the Easter weekend, just weeks before the toads were expected to leave the site.
“Why now – at the height of spring, when wildlife depend on these waters for breeding, feeding and nesting?” Terry Davis said in a social media post.
“We understand the need for the work, but not the timing. Just waiting a few more weeks could have made all the difference.”
Wrexham is home to birds including the Nant-y-Frith, great crested grebe and coot. Sedge warblers, reed buntings, lapwings and curlews inhabit nearby streams, fields and wooded canyons.
Davis, a conservationist, said the toads return to the same breeding sites year after year and do not move.
“With the reservoirs gone, they won’t be able to survive. Birds like curlews and lapwings have lost important breeding and feeding grounds…frogs, newts, insects and even otters will feel the effects, which will impact the entire ecosystem,” Davis said.
Hafren Dyfrdwy, a company that operates in north-east and central Wales, said it had drained the reservoir to make “necessary safety improvements”.
A spokesperson described the situation as worrying for the local community and said it wanted to “identify ways of putting things right for the future”.
Additionally, the company was currently reviewing what happened to our ecologists on site.
Remarkably, the situation seems worrying as the population of common toads in Britain has already declined by 41% over the past 40 years, according to wildlife charity Froglife.
