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Ochsenfurt (dpa / lby) - The mild temperatures also arouse spring fever in frogs, toads and newts: the amphibians are on the move.
They follow their reproductive instinct and hop or crawl by the thousands from their winter quarters to ponds, streams and ponds to mate and lay their spawn.
Most toads and frogs start at dusk and hike until the early hours of the morning, said Steffen Jodl from the Bund Naturschutz (BN) in Bavaria.
So that the lovemaking does not end before it can begin, animal rights activists ask that you drive slowly and be particularly careful near bodies of water and wetlands.
Crossing streets is life-threatening for the amphibians, even with low traffic density.
According to experts, the air pressure of a fast moving car can burst the internal organs or be turned outward through the mouth, causing the animals to perish in agony.
Animal rights activists therefore set up protective fences at critical sections of the road, along which the animals can hop or crawl.
There are buckets dug into the fences in various places.
The animals plop into it.
The helpers then collect them and release them to a safe place.
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This year around 6000 volunteers in Bavaria are taking part in the campaign.
According to the BN, it is the largest hands-on nature conservation campaign in the Free State.
According to the BN, around 500,000 to 700,000 amphibians are rescued across Bavaria every year.
“On some streets, however, 70 percent of the animals can be run over,” said Jodl.
"It is said that amphibians migrate up to five kilometers to their spawning waters," explained Jodl.
"A common toad migrates around 600 meters per night."
The “hiking season” lasts for several weeks, depending on the weather.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210326-99-977390 / 2
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Bund Naturschutz for spawning migrations
NABU on spawning migrations