Winterthur Volunteers Rescue Thousands of Frogs
Why this is here: Volunteers carefully transport amphibians in buckets, a practice that prevents an estimated 200 to 300 frog deaths each rainy night on a single stretch of road.
Volunteers in Winterthur, Switzerland are rescuing thousands of frogs and other amphibians from being killed on roads. The city employs protective measures after determining over 100 amphibians were killed on one section of road. Roughly 25,000 amphibians migrate through this area.
Volunteers erect fences along roadsides to guide animals into buried buckets. They then collect the amphibians daily and carry them across the streets to their spawning grounds. This work is especially crucial when temperatures exceed five degrees Celsius with rain.
City officials note amphibian migration now starts earlier in the year due to warming temperatures. Over 3,000 amphibians, including endangered species, are saved annually through this effort. Fourteen of Switzerland’s nineteen native amphibian species are considered endangered.