This British woman has been helping toads cross the road for 25 years 英國女志願者幫蟾蜍過馬路

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Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
“They have terrific characters. I just admire them so much.”

瑪格麗特·庫珀蟾蜍巡邏隊志願者
“蟾蜍這種動物性格很好。我真的是太喜歡它們瞭。”

It’s that time of year when toads set off on their travels.

又到瞭一年中蟾蜍踏上遷徙之旅的季節。

So why do toads cross the road? Well, they’re very particular about where they go during mating season. They like to go back to their original breeding ground. So here, they cross from this field, over the road and into the lake.

蟾蜍為什麼要過馬路？原來，在繁殖季節，蟾蜍對其遷徙的目的地非常講究。它們喜歡回到原生繁殖地。所以這些蟾蜍要穿過這片田地，過馬路，然後進入湖中。

But with roads comes traffic – and that could spell danger for toads. Cue Margaret on the toad patrol.

但道路上車來車往，這對蟾蜍來說可能意味著危險。快叫蟾蜍巡邏隊志願者瑪格麗特來幫忙。

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
“It lumbers along, and then, of course, it sits in the road, thinking: ‘Ooh, this is quite a nice place to be.’ That’s not a good idea. So that’s why here, during March, they’re safe and they can cross without being squashed. We actually reclaim this area for one month of the year for wildlife.”

瑪格麗特·庫珀蟾蜍巡邏隊志願者
“蟾蜍慢悠悠地前進，不過有時它們也可能在路中央停下來感嘆，這個地方還挺不錯。但在馬路上停留可不是什麼好主意。這也就是為什麼每年三月這條路都會被封閉，以保證蟾蜍的安全，確保它們過馬路時不會被車碾壓。我們其實在整個三月期間都會封閉這片區域以保護野生動物。”

When Margaret first got this road closed 25 years ago, around a thousand toads would cross here every month, but numbers have dwindled.

25 年前，瑪格麗特第一次得到批準封閉這條道路，當時每月有約 1000 隻蟾蜍從這裡穿行，但近年來，蟾蜍的數量已有所減少。

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
“Now, it’s probably no more than a hundred or two, which is really worrying. And this is reflected nationally. It’s not just here in Oxton. So that’s why every bit of help we can give them is really important.”

瑪格麗特·庫珀蟾蜍巡邏隊志願者
“現在每月在這裡過馬路的蟾蜍數量可能隻有一、兩百隻，這很令人擔憂。不僅僅是在奧克斯頓，在全英范圍內都發現蟾蜍數量減少的趨勢。所以，我們能給蟾蜍提供的每一點幫助都意義重大。”

Margaret raises hundreds of pounds to pay for the road closure here. She patrols the area and rescues any toads that may have lost their way.

瑪格麗特每年去籌集數百英鎊來支付封路的費用。她還在這片區域巡邏，救助可能迷路的蟾蜍。

To mark the 25th anniversary of this toad crossing, Margaret’s been presented with her own special sign.

為瞭紀念蟾蜍在此穿越馬路前往繁殖地 25 周年，瑪格麗特收到瞭一塊特別的路標，上面印有她的名字。

Rob Trevethik, The AA (British motoring association)
“The work that she has been doing over a period of 25 years, largely raising the money herself to pay for this and looking after these toads, for that period of time, is just incredible.”

羅佈·特雷維西克英國汽車協會（The AA）
“瑪格麗特孜孜不倦地做志願工作，一做就是 25 年，主要是她自己籌錢來支付相關費用，幫助蟾蜍安全前往繁殖地，能堅持這麼長時間，真是讓人敬佩。”

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
“It’s just brilliant that we care that much about this tiny, fabulous little creature. I mean, if you have a toad in your hand and it croaks, that’s the best thing of all.”

瑪格麗特·庫珀蟾蜍巡邏隊志願者
“我們能如此關心這個小而神奇的動物，真是太棒瞭。當聽到你手裡捧著的那隻蟾蜍呱呱叫的那一刻，喜悅之情油然而生。”