24 April 2012 (ERR)

A crew of volunteers saved 800 amphibians from ending up as roadkill in Harju County on Sunday evening, with similar actions planned in four other locations around the country.

The onset of spring temperatures have signaled to many toads and frogs that it is time to return to lay eggs, even if this involves crossing a busy road.

Between the 12 of them, the volunteers managed to save 760 toads, 44 frogs and two newts on April 22, another good tally was expected on Monday when 25 people went to the site near Tänassilma, as well as in two road sections in northern Estonia.

The amphibians are out in the dusk, as are the volunteers, who are clad in yellow jerseys. The action is part of a two-year campaign organized by the Fund for Nature and also emphasizing driver education.

In four places, the volunteers will erect temporary frog fences and gently deposit the amphibians into buckets and take them safely across the roads to allow them to continue to spawning sites.