THE Frome Frog Patrol have once again been venturing out, scooping up frogs and toads, helping them safely cross the road.
The team have been saving frogs and toads on the stretch of road by Asda that leads up to Edmund Park, a registered area for high volumes of frogs and toads that cross the road to get to the grassy bank.
A member of the group, Liz said, “Frogs and toads like to venture out under the cover of darkness. We scoop them up out of drains or the roads where they are likely to be run over and put them on the grassy bank on the other side of the road, which is where they are trying to get to in order to spawn.
“They are usually out when it’s warmer and wet conditions, six degrees or above. We can’t man the area 24/7, but we try out best to do it at peak times. There was one Monday evening recently where we just couldn’t stop because there was so many!
“Asda kindly store the buckets for us. We go and collect them from the store and then head out to look for frogs and toads to help.”
The area the group patrol is registered as crossing 901 on the Frog Life website; a national wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles, for high numbers of frogs and toads. After each patrol, the group register numbers of how many frogs and toads they have saved, on the website.
Leader of the group, Julian Baker said, “This is the second year in a row that I have been the supervisor for this frog and toad crossing patrol. We concentrate on an assigned area near Asda in Frome (901) which we’ve extended to the main road, as the frogs and toads also cross there.
“This year we have been lucky as lots of families have been involved and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped! Every night counts! I would ask that if people would like to volunteer, please let me know, but if you cannot volunteer, please ensure that you slow down using the road at this time for the safety of the frogs and toads, but also the volunteers helping them get across. Thank you, Frome.”
