Pet Habitat South Africa

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24 Jun 2014

Endangered Western Leopard Toad

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Uncategorized | Amphibians | News

The Western Leopard Toad is classified according to the IUCN Red List as an Endangered species. It lives in Cape Town and the Agulhas Plain. As such it shares its home with millions of Capetonians. As toads go, it is larger than most and exquisitely marked. It happily co-exists with humans in the suburbs, and would be just another beautiful inhabitant of Cape Town if it were not for the fact that it is an explosive breeder!

Every year, for a few days usually in August, toady goes a courting. This is unusual in that it is confined to less than a week a year. Thousands of toads migrate to suitable ponds. There the males snore and fight for the females. The females lay their eggs and depart, migrating back to their gardens. The exhausted males follow later when no more females arrive at the pools.

Again, this would be perfectly natural were it not for the fact that we have built roads and highways all around their breeding ponds.

And so every year there is a problem that potentially thousands of toads end up pancaked on our roads.

Fortunately, there are volunteers who every year between July to September, while toads only have sex on their minds, man the roads, rescuing toads, controlling traffic and preventing a blood bath. We need your help to save our toads. The frenzy lasts for only two to five nights a year, but in that time the next generation of toads is created or doomed.

If you would to volunteer and be part of the action please call the Western Leopard Toad hotline number given below and join the ranks of your local toad volunteer group.

Contact the WLT Hotline 082 516 3602

Volunteers also collect indispensible information on breeding times, numbers of toads and breeding sites. This is done while rescuing toads, but you can also contribute out of season: see below. These data are used to determine conservation plans for the following year, to obtain funds, and to update the conservation status of the species. Please help.

We urge motorists to stay alert in all toad areas, especially on roads surrounding breeding sites.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped with the breeding effort over the last few years. Your help saw fewer mortalities than ever before and that is great news for the Western Leopard Toad.

Upload the Western Leopard Toad Management Plan here.